Recovery
by Aurora-cs
Summary: J'onn has always felt isolated, and struggles with his guilt after almost letting the Philosophers Stone fall into the hands of Morgan Le Fay, but will he be able to let the league help him before it is too late?
1. Redemption

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DC comics or J'onn J'onzz, if I did, we would have more new episodes and I'd have a J'onn plushie.

**Author's Notes:** A fanfic set in the animated series. Immediately after 'A Knight of Shadows' and deals with what J'onn is feeling after his events and actions during that episode. Since this is not my usual fanfic series to write in (usually I write STC Sonic the Comic fanfics) I will write more if people ask, I'm unsure if I should or not, so your reviews are very important.

* * *

**Recovery  
**

: _Redemption_ :

.  
.  
As the human form of Etrigan vanished into the mists, J'onn could still hear his words echoing in his thoughts, along with those of his friends. Friends, who in his longing for his family, had almost died, because he had cared more for himself and his own happiness, than for their well-being. He had known, deep down, in the core of his being, that Le Fay would not have given him what she promised, but blindly he had ignored it, following what seemed the last chance he had for true happiness.

Because of that, he had almost doomed the planet, his new home. And also, his friends... his new family.

A weary feeling washed over him, and he was reminded of the battle before, so lost in his thoughts he did not sense Diana come up to him and it was only when she placed her hand on his shoulder that he did stir, breaking himself away from them to notice her.

"We're going back now J'onn..." she told him "You are coming...aren't you?"

Her voice was laced with concern, which she did not disguise. After a few moments, J'onn shook his head slightly "I am sorry" he began, his deep voice subdued, his eyes, seeing the faces of his friends fall, they obviously felt they knew what he would say, but J'onn kept speaking

"My judgement..." he trailed off, how could he explain what he was feeling, the burning guilt and pain inside "...was made because I felt, that after putting all your lives in danger because of a promise which was not set in stone, you would be angry, and at best, uncomfortable working with me..." He had to fight to prevent the feeling of despair from showing itself physically, which took agonizing seconds to do, each one stretching out to seem like an eternity.

"J'onn"

His voice breaking the silence, Batman walked over, he did not offer any physical comfort, as Diana had, but that, J'onn knew, was not due to him, but was simply part of the personality that was him, but he could sense, that somehow, he was understood.

"We don't blame you for wanting your family back, if it happened to any of us, I'm sure we would all have the same reaction. What was important was that in the end, you did the right thing." A small smile flitted across Batman's face "It might sound corny, but it's true"

J'onn nodded, still unable to smile back.

"During the battle, I told Etrigan I trusted you with my life, I still do"

"Thank you" J'onn murmured, each time they battled together, he learnt more about the dark knight, and if trust was hard for him to have, then he felt honoured to have it. The midnight winds swept through the street, ruffling their clothes and each became more aware of the impending cold, turning to make their way to the Javelin. Batman's finger pressed on a button and the hanger doorway opened and descended, he entered first, Flash behind him.

Diana stepped onto the ramp, looking back to see J'onn behind her, she backed up a few more steps so that he could step onto the ramp, and saw as his foot connected with the raised connector and he stumbled, she raced forward, catching him before he fell onto the ramp, worried, she remained for a second or two until he rose from her support, one hand to his head. She looked into his eyes and was shocked to see how dull they looked, in the space of minutes, he looked weary.

"J'onn, are you alright?"

J'onn glanced up, meeting her full gaze, he let his hand fall to his side, the traces of a headache beginning to make itself known, her words came through to his hearing as if through a fog, which cleared as he nodded, twinges of pain vibrating through his head, he took a sharp, but quiet intake of breath at this sudden pain.

"I am tired," he admitted "but I am fine"

Diana frowned "how long has it been since you slept?" J'onn looked away from her, not wanting to meet her gaze "J'onn!" she said sharply

"Several days" he admitted

"Since this all started?"

J'onn didn't say anything, one hand resting on the walls for what Diana assumed was support, this worried her, he always seemed strong, and to see him  
this weary, was disconcerting. She sighed inwardly.

"You'll rest when we get back to the Watchtower?"

It was not a question.

"Of course" he replied, smiling faintly, as much of one as he felt able to give and made his way up into the body of the Javelin, her presence behind him, the movement  
of the ramp pulling upwards and the hum of the engines making the floor shudder slightly. Both of the other inhabitants glanced at them, Batman saying nothing, but exchanging a look with Diana, while Flash smirked, giving the impression he didn't know what was going on. As usual.

The lift from the ground was smooth, as was the flight, the craft making full use of the advanced technology and materials used in its construction. Gazing out of the craft's clear shell, J'onn let his thoughts wander...could his friends ever feel the same way about him again, would they even want to call him friend...even though they assured him nothing had changed, J'onn could not prevent himself from feeling the heavy guilt, which sat on him much like a substantial weight.

The throbbing in his head was more constant and he stopped his thoughts. But this did not lessen it any and he closed his eyes, using a technique he had learned as a child to omit the surroundings and fool the body into believing nothing around it but calming air, a cool breeze drifting across, easing the tension like it was simply lifted from him and taken away...He floated in this feeling, calming himself and letting his pain and guilt separate from him, still able to sense, but as if they were not part of him...

"J'onn?"

The vision vanished and the throbbing returned as before, opening his eyes he saw Diana leaning over him, concerned eyes set on him. She offered a hand, which he accepted and stood, standing and waiting for the increased pulse in his head to die down. The distant movement of the Javelin had stopped, which meant they were back in the Watchtower.

"I...am fine" he answered to her, Diana frowned.

"I'm worried J'onn... I tried to get your attention on our return, but you didn't seem to notice" J'onn mentally berated himself, by using the meditative technique, he had failed to notice anything or anyone surrounding him, which was more worrying to his friends than if he had responded. He offered a quick apology to Diana, who accepted it, with a suspicious look, then both left the Javelin, entering the large hanger space in which the craft along with other technologies resided. Making his way to the doorway, J'onn began to punch in the code for the security lock; each digit indentated prompted a short beep, vibrating a short spasm of pain in his head.

This done, J'onn stepped to the door, allowing the automatic function time for the doors to slide open, stepping through silently, followed by Diana. Always one to gauge the others condition, J'onn was unaccustomed to the Amazon's watchful eyes as the doors shut. He thought for a second, a fresh wave of pain in his head making him raise his hand, a small groan escaping his lips, but not Diana's hearing.

"Are you alright J'onn?"

He rubbed at his temple with his hand, letting it and his arm fall to his side. He felt infinitely tired, the stress of the exertion and the events of the last few days taking its toll. As a Martian, he could survive without rest for days if necessary, as he had done when guarding the doorway where the conquered invaders of his home had been imprisoned. He had not rested for much then, leaving most of his rest to a hibernation cycle, which he would withdraw into perhaps every few months, or even as much as a year, when the strain of fatigue proved too much. Sleep had not been of much importance then, since the time awake was spent either in meditation or deep thought. But here on Earth, where much of his time was taken up with rescues, battling villains and other things that came with being a 'hero', rest was of far more importance.

Vision blurring slightly from fatigue, he nodded to Diana "It is nothing"

She frowned "It doesn't seem like nothing"

"It is merely a headache" he admitted reluctantly "I will rest" he assured her "and I shall be fine" nodding, Diana began walking down an opposite corridor, and when she disappeared out of sight, J'onn allowed himself to lean against the wall, his hand massaging his temple once more, the small throbbing that had been there before was now less, but every movement he made reminded him of it's presence. The lack of sleep and use of his telepathic abilities had exhausted him, and the fear and guilt eating away at him did nothing to help.

He turned and began walking in the direction for his room, though it would be far easier to use his intangible state and phase through the walls, he did not feel he had the strength to use it. The journey seemed to take forever and he was thankful that none of his friends were around to see him in this state, after the weakness he had shown today it would only worry them further, and he did not wish his troubles on them, however heavy they were.

Entering the room, J'onn let out a sigh of relief, making his way to the bed. He, along with all the others, had quarters; his were slightly larger than the rest, owing to the fact that he did not have a separate life... and home, down on Earth. This thought sent a pang to his heart and again he remembered the mistake he had almost made today, and back to their first battle, when, at the end, Superman had asked him if he would be able to consider Earth his new home.

And he had tried, occasionally he would use his shape changing abilities to shift into a human guise and walk among them, free of the watchful gazes and wide eyes he received as a member of the league in battle, but as comforting as being able to be amongst humans without fear was, he felt more comfortable in this form, which he had taken on coming to Earth. His original Martian look was now left in the same place as his memories, both had the same green skin and amber eyes, but the original belonged to his life more than five hundred years ago on Mars, and this to his new life on Earth.

But did he truly believe it could be...

"Earth..." he tentively murmured "Home...?"

But the words did not seem to fit together, however hard he tried. Wearily, for he felt his exhaustion more than ever, he lay down on the soft bed, which looked much like those in the medical bay, letting his head settle on a pillow, and in the space of seconds, was deeply asleep.  
.

_Darkness... _

It was everywhere and like a dark blanket it covered everything he could see, or rather, could not see, for there was no light in this place. Lifting his head, which felt strangely heavy, he moved his hands, finding the reason for the lack of mobility, a block of stone, though it seemed to be of a material much heavier than stone, without light, he could not see it. His hands were also weighed down with it, but his feet were not.

Shifting his position, one hand came to rest against a wall, discovering the area where he sat to be small, enough to accommodate his body, and nothing more. He was not claustrophobic but the lack of space was enough to increase his heart rate and breathing, his eyes were wide and his breaths came out harsh and ragged. Why did he feel such terror, no danger seemed imminent and he could feel air coming from somewhere...

...Put simply, it was the fear of the unknown. How he came to be there and why he was there, and since he did not know that, such was his fear.

However long he was there, sitting, hunched in the small enclosed space, was unable to be measured in any sense, mechanical or mental, but had it been a minute, it felt like hours, the darkness seeming to grow and the walls coming closer to his form.

It was then the light came.

Blinding him, he felt, rather than saw, the person pushing him, boots impacting on uneven slabs, skin warmed by the sun, yet cooled by the wind. Coming from the pit, it felt too good to describe. But when eyes, finally adjusting to the light, opened, his euphoria changed into a view too horrible to put words to.

Seeing destruction on a large scale before, back on Mars, when the invaders had come with the goal of claiming the planet as their own, structures reduced to rubble, the sky dark with grey clouds which blocked any light, if there was any. Then in the ruins of Coast City, in the alternate universe, and many other battles. So he was used to such a thing. What he saw with opening eyes, took him back in time to those encounters.

Stood in a city, as it appeared to be from the ruins, he glanced back to see a figure, it's back to him, slamming a door, which led to the room he had been imprisoned in. Now able to see, he watched humans slaving away, some shifting blocks of stone, others planks of wood or metal, but each and every one with a look of complete misery etched on their face.

He turned, trying to see what they were building, catching a glance of some kind of building before his captors noticed his wandering mind and lack of movement, one coming towards him.

Pushed forward, he saw his captors were the same demons that LeFay had sent to the Watchtower, though he had only seen them briefly on the security screen. Their expressions were neutral, no joy, no sorrow, no emotions of any kind, only the dark eyes which watched him. When he remained immobile, a stick...or something, jabbed into his side, pain rushing through him, like none before, his thoughts becoming jumbled and vision growing dark...

.  
J'onn bolted upright, the thin sheet falling down around him, his breathing was harsh, drops of sweat pouring down his face, holding up a hand to wipe them away, he saw it was shaking, like the rest of his body. Why did the dream unnerve him so much, the darkness, although not real, still seemed to grip him, and he pushed himself off the bed, pacing around the room to try and gain some sense of equilibrium. His telepathic abilities, a powerful tool against evil, became a curse in nightmares, his unconscious mind being able to create pain, to increase the realism.

Unable to sleep now, J'onn left the room, he did not feel as tired now, not in the physical sense at least, but a weary feeling still hovered at the edge of his senses, shaking his head to try and clear it, he needed to do something to take his attention, perhaps he could take over for whoever was on monitor duty. If not, he would attempt another try at the meditation technique he used earlier, without distractions, its effectiveness could be increased.

J'onn hoped that it would heal whatever was wrong with him, for if it could not, his resignation would be more than a guilt laden apology, it would be real.


	2. Reluctance

**Disclaimer : **I do not own J'onn J'onzz or Justice League...I do own the video of 'Secret Origins' however ^^ You can find a great website based on the series at http://jl.toonzone.net/  
  
**Authors notes : **I am amazed by the reviews, sure there are five, which to some authors may seem like a drop in the ocean, but for a single chapter, these are the most reviews I've received. This chapter is a bit shorter than the last, since I wanted to put something up, but rest assured, the next chapter is in the works ^^  
  
If you notice the better formatting, that's my beta readers job *hugs Matt*...go check his work out...I command you! :: http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=154939  
  
But before the fanfic, I just want to say a few things...bear with me people...  
  
The whole purpose of this fanfic, for me writing it, is that I don't believe J'onn could just walk away after the events in that episode [A Knight of Shadows] without anything happening, as we've seen in past episodes, J'onn cares deeply for the wellbeing of his friends, and since his actions almost cost their lives then, I think J'onn would be deeply affected, even if he doesn't show it outwardly.  
  
Evidence of this I think is shown in 'Injustice for all' [Spoilers] when J'onn allows Batman to leave the watchtower. He soon finds out that Batman has been captured by Lex Luthor and his gang, and when the Justice League are gathered on the rooftop outside where the Injustice Gang are hiding, he phases through the building to try and rescue him, despite the others protests. In other episodes, J'onn listens to ideas/plans by the other members before they act.  
  
Why not then. Simple answer, he feels guilty...because Batman had just been cured from the venom and still he let him leave. So he feels it is partly his fault that Batman was captured. So when he almost dooms his friends' lives, you can expect him to feel a great deal of guilt. Remember also that he is the last of his kind and unlike Superman, would remember how he came to be that way.   
  
I think J'onn is a very complex character, and I try to keep that in mind, as well as keep him in character.   
  
Oh, and one last question. In 'Paradise Lost' Diana says it's been 8 months since she left Themiscyra, how long do you think it's been since then until now...and the whole first season in all... 

**Recovery**

**Chapter two - Reluctance**

- - - - - 

_If we can't find a way out of these problems  
Then maybe we don't need this  
Standing face to face  
Enemies at war we build defences  
And secret hiding places_

**_Savage Garden - Hold me_**

- - - - - 

People who amassed great wealth.  
  
People with great power.  
  
These were what the league usually battled against, from the day they faced the Imperium, to their battles with the Manhunters, Felix Faust and most recently, against Le Fay and her son Mordrid. All these fights seemed to be against those with superhuman abilities equal perhaps to their own.  
  
But they didn't just deal with these situations. If needed, Superman and the others would always be willing to lend a hand with a natural disaster. Whenever this happened, the necessity of leaving somebody behind at the watchtower was needed in case of any other emergency.  
  
J'onn allowed himself to sit down by the computer consoles, his tall form leaning slightly back in the chair as it sagged under his weight. Had Batman or any of the others had been around, he would not have allowed himself to do this, but he was alone right now. Knowing that the alarms would alert him if anything happened, J'onn let his eyes close, trying to reach that meditative state that he desperately wanted, but continued to allude him.  
  
It had been a week since that nightmare, it had not been the first, and it would not be the last. Subconscious memories from his family on mars being killed by the invaders, where his pyromania had first reared its ugly head.  
  
Right now the nightmares continued from where the last had ended, and like that first one, he would awaken, breathing ragged, drenched with sweat and unable to find any peace, meditation could help, so J'onn forced himself to try and use it. But lack of sleep and the eventual images he would see after closing his eyes for a few moments would not let him find it. 

Images of destruction, tormenting him every time he slept, every time he tried to meditate, any time he wanted, so desperately NEEDED to try and escape these demons. But nothing helped. The only way he could be free of the nightmares was by constantly staying awake, and staying active.  
  
He would go to the monitor tower and run routine checks, take the watch over from one of the others, even putting the thought in their minds that they were tired. When he felt they were getting worried about this, he would spend time in cities around the world in a human guise.  
  
And when he was finally too tired to do anything, he would go to his quarters, lie down, hoping that his exhausted body would stop his mind from creating any more nightmares. But even with his mind and body sapped of almost all their strength, enough remained to give an almost realistic experience of the nightmares.  
  
The horrible scenario which began in the first dream, unfolded to be what his unconscious mind believed would have happened if he had given Le Fay the stone. And though after that, each dream was different, the outcome remained the same.  
  
They were dead, and it was his fault.  
  
In the last week, J'onn had gotten little rest, enough to stop him from falling every time he stood up, but so little that anything he did had to be given every single piece of concentration he possessed. If he allowed his mind to wander for just a moment, he fell the risk of his friends realising something was wrong. He knew in his core that revealing his problem would be the best thing, but the visions prevented him from doing so. 

So weary he was at that moment, that he did not even realise his descent into sleep, his body relaxing. 

- - - - - 

_This time he stood on a planet, he knew, immediately that it was not earth. The dry, red ground was cracked, abandoned buildings could be seen for a great distance, some still standing, others merely pieces of rubble. Some sort of battle had taken place here, and as J'onn let his gaze wander, he knew where he was._

_The planet was War World._

_The last time he remembered being here was after he and Superman had been captured to be used as slaves, simply for the purpose of fighting to provide entertainment for the inhabitants of the planet nearby where the tyrannical Mongol ruled._

_The strange atmosphere, which had seemed to feed upon his very life, clouding his senses and decreasing his energy. He had needed Superman's assistance to escape the slave cells and did not even have the strength to fly. Only the minute portion he possessed to phase through the force field had stopped him from being re-captured._

_As Superman had._

_J'onn had a feeling that if he had been recaptured, his dwindling strength and powers would not have given him the power needed to survive a battle on the planetoid. Even though he had escaped, his attempts to trick the guards to destroy the deadly machine used to keep Draaga under Mongol's control would have been useless had Green Lantern and Hawkgirl not arrived seconds after his identity had been discovered.  
  
Thankfully they had, and soon after assisted him and Superman in defeating Mongol, and with the deadly weapon destroyed, Draaga had taken charge of the situation, after Superman had told him that now that Mongol held no control over his planet, that he could try and undo the damage the tyrant had caused._

_It had taken J'onn two days to regain his full strength.  
  
Now however, he wondered why he was here...how had he got here..._

_And as a feeling of dread embedded itself in his stomach, he wondered why Superman was lying on his back amongst the rubble._

_Unmoving._

_Standing over him, a triumphant grin on his face, was Mongol.  
  
As he saw this, J'onn became aware that as well as Superman, both Hawkgirl and Green Lantern also lay motionless, Mongol was preoccupied with his triumph over his enemy and did not see J'onn creep stealthy across the terrain until he came to the closest person. As soon as he looked, he knew she was dead. Hawkgirl's neck bent at an unnatural angle, but there were no other visible injuries, save a small trickle of blood, already dried, down her cheek.  
  
Green Lantern had been killed the same way as Hawkgirl._

_J'onn turned his head away from this in shame, he should have been there to stop this..._

_He made his way towards Superman; almost there he stopped still as Mongol turned, staring straight at him. He smirked, then from out of nowhere, brandished some sort of energy weapon at J'onn, who was caught off guard, crying out in pain as the energy coursed through his veins, every part of his body was on fire and it seemed like an eternity until the pain stopped and he fell to the ground.  
  
Mongol said nothing as he took one last glance at the motionless body of Superman, then turned to J'onn.   
  
But he did not have to speak, for his look told J'onn all he needed to know.  
  
He had lost, Mongol had won.  
  
And it was his fault._

- - - - -  
  
J'onn awoke suddenly, beads of sweat trickled down his face and his breathing came in unsteady gasping, trying to gain control. What had roused him from his terror was the flashing red light on the console in front of him, as well as flickering, it emitted a steady beeping. Realising it was the communications connecting the watchtower to the Javelin, he hoped that it had not been doing so for long.  
  
As soon as he pressed it, Superman's voice came over the comm., clear and loud.   
  
"J'onn...are you alright, you didn't answer straight away..."  
  
"I am fine" J'onn replied, wishing inwardly that he would admit otherwise, but did not want to worry them. A check of the systems showed he had answered almost thirty seconds after Superman had activated the link. As he relayed to J'onn that they were returning from assisting with the earthquake, J'onn tried to think up an excuse for not answering immediately. As Superman finished, J'onn relayed that there had been signs of another earthquake, but that it had not been severe enough to warrant their attention. 

Accepting this, Superman broke off the comm. link and J'onn sat back down in the chair for their return. 

- - - - - 

The next few days proceeded the same as the last week. J'onn managed to keep up his facade, though there had been a few close calls. 

Diana had been walking down the corridor just as J'onn exited his quarters after awakening from another nightmare, she noticed his sweating and shaking arms before he could stop and asked what was wrong. Exhausted, J'onn did not have the mental strength to plant a suggestion in her mind, becoming increasingly reluctant to use this tactic because of the guilt he felt deceiving his friends. 

Instead, he explained he had been using a meditative exercise and that it took a great deal of concentration and energy. When Diana inquired as to what it was meant to achieve, J'onn told her it was to keep his mental abilities sharp.   
  
Diana did not seem to accept this with as much trust as Superman had before, but nodded and suggested he rest. J'onn returned to his quarters, sure that had he simply walked onwards, tired as he had been, her suspicion would have been assured. Too exhausted to enter a full meditative state, he knew sleep was desperately needed, J'onn allowed himself to sink into a light trance, where he could gain rest...not enough to recover fully, but so that he could function. 

For the time being. 

It was only a matter of time before he would be unable to keep the facade up any longer.


	3. Reaching

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Justice League...wish I did, but I don't.

**Author's notes: **This was an extremely hard chapter to write, in the last two I've been dealing with what J'onn thinks, but this one required the other characters as well. I hope I did them justice snickers at the pun so tell me if I got anything wrong. Thanks to all my reviewers so far and to those hopefully in the future. I'm trying to do each chapter beginning with an 'R' but it's getting hard to think up, heh And thanks to Matt Morwell, my beta reader, for all his help with this chapter.

This chapter is a bit longer than the other two, it's thanks for waiting for it

* * *

**Chapter three  
- Reaching - **

"What! Don't you ever feel lonely?"  
"More than you could imagine..."

_- Flash and J'onn -_

* * *

Superman and J'onn were at the seat of the controls in the Javelin less than a minute after the alarm had sounded. The emergency had originated from a large city and they were the only ones available to deal with the threat. All the other members were engaged in other missions, except Batman, who remained back at the Watchtower to scan for any other threat. 

Superman was taking control of the craft, for which J'onn was grateful; he did not trust himself to be able to control the Javelin, not if he wanted to be of any use when they arrived. He brought up a computer file on the small screen, so that they would have information on the person responsible.

"Did Batman send over the information?"

J'onn nodded "Michael Sanders, employed by Citytech enterprises until two days previously, he was fired along with other workers because of financial troubles"

"And this guy wasn't happy?"

He shook his head, wishing he hadn't as a spark of pain shot through it. Luckily Superman did not seem to have noticed, and J'onn continued reading the report in a deep, somber voice "Mr. Saunders managed to get into his previous work and steal one of the companies high-tech robots, designed for construction methods...last known sightings of the robot had him in Pala city, where he is believed to be heading towards the home of his previous employer, a Mr. Richard Licher"

"We have the co-ordinates?"

"Batman uploaded them into the computer before we arrived...as well as specifics of the robot he was able to attain"

"Anything useful...we need to keep any destruction to a minimum, considering the population"

Skimming over the report, short as it was, J'onn managed to pick up some information.

"The robot is around forty feet tall and made with a new metal designed by the company who built the robot, it can be melted with extreme heat, but would be highly resistant to any physical attack"

"Which means we need another way to stop it...what's the power source?"

"It does not say...apparently Citytech wished to keep the information secret, however, I doubt it would be in any place where we would be able to get at it..."

Superman nodded "alright then...we'll get down there and see what we can do"

* * *

Despite the size of the city, it was easy to find where the ex-employee had gone with the robot, cars that had obviously been in it's way had impacted into other cars, posts or other objects, either by swerving to avoid it, or from being flung aside. Emergency services were already there and the situation seemed under control, so Superman and J'onn continued searching. 

When they found the robot, it was making it's way down a street, scared and frantic people were running away, cars stopped in the middle of the road, the occupants flinging open the doors and sprinting as far as they could before their car became scrap metal.

A small child, no older than five years old, was standing right in the middle of the street, frozen with fear. Sanders, up inside the huge head of the robot, either did not see her, or didn't care, and made so sign of stopping or slowing down. Still piloting the Javelin, Superman turned to J'onn, no words were exchanged, both knew what needed to be done.

Phasing through the ship, J'onn flew towards the robot, swerving to avoid the metal legs, then holding out his arms as he swept the child into them and away from the robot, seconds before the metal limbs impacted on the same piece of ground she had been standing on. Landing at the other side of the street, J'onn let the child down, who soon looked in the other direction to see her mother running towards her, she began to run also, but looked back and waved.

J'onn gave a sigh of relief for the safety of the child, then this was interrupted by the sudden weak feeling running through his body, a supreme effort on his part enabled him to stay standing, but he wavered slightly, one hand rested on the metal lighting pole next to him for support, which he removed on hearing Superman approach.

"Everything all right J'onn?"

"Yes" he nodded "the child is safe...but we must still deal with the robot"

* * *

.  
Michael Sanders was not a happy man, being fired was not the best thing to happen in his life, in fact, it was the worst thing. This job had been all he had ever had, all he had ever wanted, his wife had left him years ago, with their only daughter, and had forbade him from ever seeing her, in a spite of rage. It had not been his fault, to provide for them, he had worked all the hours he could be given, but this wasn't enough for her. She wanted him to earn the money AND stay home more, he knew it wasn't possible. 

And he told her this.

So she had left, taking Chelsea with her.

And he had nothing left.

So he had thrown himself even more into his work, the money he had once spent on toys and clothes for his loved ones, now went on drink, never enough to stop him from completing his work. Until one day a few months ago, when he had a bad day, came back to the small apartment he had, and had drunk twice as much as he had normally done.

He had come into work over half a day late the next morning, it had been his first time doing this, and so he had not been cautioned.

That had been their mistake.

Feeling that since he had not been punished then, he would not be again, Michael did the same the next night, always careful to come into work on time.

But his work suffered, and he'd been fired.

He didn't know where his ex-wife lived, so he couldn't go and blame her, but he did know where Richard Licher did.

He would be his target...HE had fired him, ruined his life, his work, the only thing which was keeping him going.

He would pay.

* * *

.  
Shocked out of his thoughts, Sanders blinked as 'something' appeared right in front of his line of vision, it took him a few seconds, but he realised that it was one of the members of the Justice League... 

...he shorted, as if they could stop him...sure he cared for people, but they'd all left him, what was the use of caring for people now.

Besides, he didn't want to kill his ex-boss, just...shake him up a little, so that Licher would feel as bad for firing him, as Saunders himself had felt when his wife had left.  
Moving his hand over the joy-stick, he made a motion with the arm, which headed straight for the figure, but it did not impact, swinging through...whatever it was, and simply whirling around in the air.

He then saw the figure become solid again...ok, so the guy could do some weird trick...that wouldn't stop him, he didn't care, whatever it took, he'd get through this and where he wanted to be.

* * *

.  
J'onn felt his body become material again, it had taken more of an effort this time...and he could still feel the tingling sensation surging through his veins, he shook his head to clear the numbness...  
.

* * *

.  
Grinning madly, Saunders took this chance when he saw the Martian, as he now remembered, pausing for a moment. That one moment was all Saunders needed, as his fingers moved towards a button, pressing it down. The arm moved again, impacting against his opponent, sending him crashing down onto the pavement, where he lay still.  
.

* * *

.  
J'onn came out of his daze just in time to feel the rushing of air as the robotic limb slashed through the air. Groggy and disorientated, J'onn did not have time to get out of the way before it sent him flying to the ground, as he plummeted, his vision went darker, what he could see becoming like a distorted picture, fuzzy around the edges, until it all went black .and he saw nothing.

* * *

.  
"J'ONN!" 

Seeing him fall from the sky, Superman could not reach him in time before J'onn fell to the ground. When he did, he was relieved to see that he had just been knocked unconscious, there were no serious injuries, and he would wake up soon enough.

But he couldn't stay there. Saunders, apparently believing whatever had tried to stop him was now out of the way, continued down the street, with a last glance back at J'onn, who had not moved, Superman took to the air again, this time more angry than ever. He felt the burning sensation behind his eyes as the energy built up and fired it straight at the middle of the metal-clad monolith.

The data Batman had managed to give them was proved to be accurate, the twin beams of energy Superman shot from his eyes impacting onto the metal and melting it slightly, the metal was as resistant to heat as they had been informed. But now that the metal was weakened, perhaps ramming into the area where it had been weakened would damage it enough for them to reach the power core.

His X-ray vision told him that the main power core for the metal monolith was in the center of the robot.

But he had not looked through all of the outer coating, and that was his mistake.

For as he flew straight towards his goal, arms outstretched to hit through the weakened metal shell, he found himself being grabbed, then an excruciating electrical charge running through him, it burned everywhere, and he found himself fighting to stay conscious. But the current increased, again and again, until the pain became so much that he couldn't take it any more.

He too, fell to the ground.

* * *

.  
J'onn could not pinpoint when he started coming back to awareness, but it was speeded up when he heard a cry of pain. With a groan of pain he managed to make it to a kneeling position, shaking his head to clear the foggy feeling in his head, but could not get rid of it entirely. His vision blurred as he pressed his palms against the cold slabs of pavement he had been lying on, and tried to stand. 

It took much longer than after any other attack he had experienced, but he paid it no heed, ignoring the increasing dizziness, not noticing that he was in fact, wavering from side to side.

He turned his head to the direction where he had heard the cry come from, just in time to see Superman fall, just as he had done moments earlier.

The same guilty feeling washed over him again, another of his friends was hurt, and, just as he had feared, because he had failed.

Again.

Not this time.

Ignoring the dizziness which threatened to overwhelm him, J'onn managed to take to the air, he could see from here the mark on the back of the robot where Superman's heat vision had caused it to begin melting. He did not have any such thing as his own, but what it did tell him was that Superman had located the core, the main power source. Take it out and the robot would not be able to function.

But J'onn had one thing that none of the others did.

The ability to make himself immaterial.

While Superman would have kept using his heat vision, Hawkgirl would have used her mace and Green Lantern his ring, all of those attacks, judging from the data they had found, and from the experience they had whilst battling it, would have been virtually useless. But using his phasing ability, J'onn would be able to get into the core, disable it and get out.

At least that was what he had hoped.

He had hoped that the battle would be a short one, that Superman would be able to deal with it, for even as he flew towards the robot, J'onn could feel his strength leaving him...but he would not just stand by and do nothing. His nightmares were giving him the willpower to do anything to help his friend, even if it would mean harm to him.

The metallic construct continued it's pace through the streets, evidently still heading towards its goal. Saunders, believing there was no one left to oppose his plan, was obviously unaware of J'onn accelerating through the air. But with every meter, he became more and more aware that with the lack of sleep, nightmares, that it was foolish to try and do this.

But to tell it to himself, was as hard as admitting it out loud to the others would be.

* * *

.  
Saunders gave a satisfied smirk as Superman fell to the ground, now both he and the Martian were out of the way, he could finally get back to what he had started. 

A photo in a blue frame, strangely out of place on the control panel in front of him depicted his own self, with that of another.

His daughter.

Who his wife had taken, out of undeserved anger towards him.

Never to see again.

He had passed them in the street a few days after their separation, seeing her father, Chelsea had broken free of her mothers grip, running towards him, he had embraced her with all the love he could give her. But it had lasted mere seconds, when her mother...his wife... had stormed up, broken their hug, and taken his daughter away, crying and imploring in high pitched tones that she wanted her daddy.

He had not seen her since then.

His anger welled up anew.

* * *

.  
J'onn concentrated, flying towards the center of the metallic nightmare, and prepared to phase through the outer shell.  
.

* * *

.  
Groaning, Superman opened his eyes. 

His body protested as he tried to rise, and he gazed around for the robot.

He saw J'onn flying towards it.

He knew what J'onn was about to do.

Then he stared.

* * *

.  
J'onn slowed down considerably as another wave of weakness flowed through him, but he managed to keep steady, his telepathic abilities telling him that Superman had awoken and he did not want to show that something was wrong. 

LeFay had caused him to question who he valued the most.

His deceased family, whom he had known for years, lived many happy days with, safe and content.

Until the invaders had arrived and taken them away from him.

Or his new friends...if he felt deserving of the title.

But he could do nothing to regain his family, no matter what LeFay had promised, they were gone now and only his memories remained to show him what he had once had, any traces of his home on Mars destroyed in the attacks. But his friends, teammates were alive, they had done so much for him, that he felt a deep obligation to protect them if they could not defend themselves.

Not that that happened since every single time they battled, he knew perfectly well that each and every one, from Flash to Green Lantern, was capable of covering their own backs, but if they needed help, he was determined to give it.

* * *

.  
Despite J'onn trying to hide it, Superman had seen him slow down. 

"Something's wrong..." he muttered, rising slowly, the effects of the electrical shock from the robotic construct still lingering.

* * *

.  
As he gained the distance to the robot, J'onn concentrated on willing his body to become immaterial, it was done on a molecular level, and every Martian had known how to use it, but since their planet, until the Imperium had invaded, had been peaceful, there had not been much use for it. 

Here however, when in battle, it became to J'onn, almost as important as the air you breathe.

It was simple to use, but J'onn found it hard to concentrate, the dizzy feeling which had been a small tingle in his head minutes earlier, now covered his entire body, seeping into every vein. He felt much warmer now under the shadow of the object of such destruction and now felt himself breathing much harsher than normal. He felt right at the last minute that it wouldn't work.

He phased through the outer shell, then, still immaterial he looked to see a large battery shaped device in front of him, it glowed with an orange aura, with a multitude of wires sticking into it, trailing into various pieces of circuitry all around him. The main power core for the entire robot.

Willing his arm to become solid again, J'onn grasped one of the wires, pulling it out.

When there were no visible signs of anything happening, he did the same to another, and another.

Sparks began flying and smoke rose from the malfunctioning machinery, he could feel the robot slowing down and felt satisfied.

Then he doubled over, the worst feeling of dizziness and disorientation flowing through him. As bad as the previous attacks had been, this was ten times worse. It came over him in waves, each more severe than the last. J'onn looked down and saw that his other arm was now solid again. He was losing control of his powers. He could no longer deny that something was wrong. The days...almost weeks of nightmarish visions and restful sleep had taken their toll.

He looked back to see the core now melting, in the same way as Superman's heat vision had done to the metal shell, he concentrated, trying to will his body to become immaterial again, otherwise he would not survive the explosion without grave injury...perhaps even worse.

It was no use, he was too weak to do it for more than a second, but it could be that was all he needed. Seconds until the robot exploded...

* * *

.  
Speeding through the air, Superman could see the signs of the robots malfunction, it had halted suddenly and begun to shake from side to side, sparks of electricity coming from almost every limb. He stopped, realising that J'onn must be inside the robot, taking it down from the core. Sure that his friend could handle that part on his own - though a small part of him lingered on that sight of him slowing down seconds earlier - he watched the top, where the man controlling the machine was. 

If...no, he told himself, when the robot became too dangerous to function normally, he would need to get Saunders out of there.

J'onn could handle himself just fine.

He thought.

Mere seconds later a large explosion echoed throughout the street, coming from the middle of the machine, flames immediately began covering the lower half, but inched up steadily towards the top. As the flames continued their deadly climb, he saw J'onn phasing through. He frowned, the phasing seemed...sluggish...as if something was stopping him from going any faster...

* * *

.  
Inside where the core had been damaged, a steady trickle of something inched closer and closer to a flickering flame from the explosion... 

Closer...

and closer...

* * *

.  
Superman watched, in horror as J'onn, almost completely phased out, was flung through the air with the force of the giant explosion. He landed, seconds later on the ground, hitting it with so much force that the tarmac beneath him was shattered, driving his unconscious form deeper into the hole it created. 

But he couldn't go and help J'onn straight away, as he could see that within seconds, the flames would reach the top of the construct and where Saunders could be seen frantically hitting the clear screen of the control center.

Superman headed up.

* * *

.  
No...it wasn't meant to happen. He should have been at his ex-boss' home now, inducing terror into Lichen for what he had done. 

But now he felt the terror, trapped here with the flames coming. The eject button had been cut off in the explosion, as well as any other form of escape.

And Saunders now realised what a fool he had been.

Simply because he had wanted to do something...anything, to take his thoughts away from his wife and daughter.

He let his arms drop to his side, and then wrapped them around himself.

He cried.

Then, looked up as a shadow descended over him.

Superman was watching him, and no words were exchanged, but they didn't need to talk.

He was being asked if he was sorry.

Saunders did not need to think.

He was.

* * *

.  
He knew Saunders regretted what he had done, that he was sorry. Superman did not need J'onn's telepathy to tell him that. So he motioned for the man to stand as far away as possible, then sent a fist flying through the glass, which shattered on impact. Any other man would have been horrifically cut. 

Saunders unfolded and ran towards Superman, slivers of glass crunching under his feet and falling from his clothes. Then Superman took him and flew away from the robot, down to the ground below.

The authorities were waiting, and a pair of officers headed towards them with handcuffs.

Saunders looked back at Superman.

"I'm sorry"

"I know" Superman replied, "Just don't let your anger get the best of you..."

"Never again" Saunders said, as the officers secured him with the handcuffs and lead him away. He looked back and saw the firemen putting out the blaze created by the malfunction when the power core had been destroyed. Then he saw Superman heading towards the middle of the road some distance away to where a small crater, pieces of tarmac sticking up and he realised.

He had hurt someone.

Something his wife had done to him.

Her's had been emotional, his physical, but it didn't matter which kind it was. What mattered was he had hurt someone...

He hung his head.

* * *

.  
He winced when seeing the crater made by the force of the impact. Superman knelt down and checked, there were various injuries, mainly painful looking gashes from where the metal had scraped against his body when he had been flung through the air not fully phased out. Dark red blood dripped from some of these, his chest, rising slowly, but still breathing. 

"J'onn?" his arms gently lifted the Martian from the crater "Are you ok?"

No answer, more breathing.

"J'onn?" he repeated, panicking slightly.

Then J'onn moved, only slightly and opened his eyes. Superman looked relieved.

"Are you ok J'onn"

"Y..y..yes" J'onn managed to reply, standing with Superman's help, but his hand was clasped to his head and when he pulled it away it was covered with blood. The dizziness was now so much that when he shook himself free of Superman's support, J'onn almost fell to the ground. He felt drained, much like the battery in the core of the robot.

But he still felt like a failure, for even though he had stopped the robot, he could still see people being treated by the remaining ambulance men.

People had been hurt.

A small strangled gasp escaped him as a nauseated feeling came up his throat. His head throbbed and increased in pain until he had to squeeze his eyes so tightly that when they were opened, spots danced in front of them.

"J'onn?" Superman came up to him "What's wrong?"

J'onn couldn't reply, didn't know he was trembling, or when he almost collapsed and Superman, worried, caught him as he fell and flew back with him to the Javelin. He didn't hear him call the Watchtower. All he knew was the pain, the disorientated feeling and the nausea. He gritted his teeth against the pain, but couldn't stop the small cry of pain.

Then it went black.


	4. Revealed

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Justice League, I own the Secret Origins tape and issue number #16 of JL Adventures, but that's all.  
  
**Author's notes: **Sorry for the delay in updating, writer's block attacked this chapter [and other fanfics I'm writing], this chapter isn't as long as the last, but the action's starting to heat up. Hope you enjoy this chapter. I want to thank Matt Morwell, who puts up with me showing him my fics and does the HTML stuff so you can see the italics, go read his work now ^^  
  
**Random quote -   
  
Superman [to J'onn] : **"For all our friction, I'd like to think we've become a kind of family up here. I know we can never replace the one you lost to those savages. But there's a lot we can do to help, if you let us"  
  
[Justice League Adventures, issue #16 - 'Traitor']  
**  
  
Recovery**

**Chapter four - Revealed  
  
**  
- - - - -  
  
  
  
The Javalin was carefully maneuvered into the docking bay of the Watchtower, the bluish trail of energy leading from the engines dying down, wheels squeaking as they touched onto the metal flooring of the room. On the underside of the craft, there could be seen a faint, rectangular seam, one side of which was missing. With a small hiss and a whir, the seam became a crack, and then an opening, and then a fully lowered ramp.  
  
Making his way down the sloped ramp, J'onn's unconscious form in his arms, Superman's face was tense and his features drawn into an expression of worry and uncertainty. He strode across the large hangar, which was empty, save for him, J'onn and the Javelin, and let the door open before walking through, almost forgetting the security code. He had to shift J'onn slightly so that his hand could reach the panel.  
  
This done, he turned and headed towards the Med-bay. 

Superman's worry when he'd seen J'onn lying in the crater had only increased when the Martian had brought a hand to his head, appearing disoriented. Then when he had collapsed, Superman had felt a pang of fear, tinged with guilt, even as he had caught his comrade.  
  
J'onn had come around in the Javelin, but was disorientated and in obvious pain, then blacked out again.  
  
He had been injured before, as they all had, but this time it seemed more severe, and Superman kept thinking back to the sight of J'onn half-phased through the robot's shell, and had a feeling it was important. 

- - - - -  
  
Batman was waiting for him when he entered the Medlab, motioning to one of the flat bio-beds, Superman carefully placed J'onn down, the Martian's closed eyes were twitching, as if he were in the grips of a dream, and beads of sweat were dotted on his head, the ocean blue cape had been torn in places, as well as burnt, and was removed.   
  
This done, he watched as Batman took several devices, which he knew from past experiences were medical tools used in the Medlab, it seemed strange to see Batman using them, J'onn was mostly the one to deal with any injuries to other members of the team, and it was unnerving to see J'onn being the one injured this time.  
  
"What happened?"   
  
The deep voice shocked him from his thoughts and Batman looked at him, the scan was evidently finished, and results were being projected onto the screen above the bed. Without waiting for an answer, Batman turned around to study the readings.  
  
"Well?"  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know...the information you gave us was right, I managed to get a shot in before it saw, and it weakened the shell, J'onn phased through before I came to and he phased out just as it exploded..."  
  
It all seemed logical now. J'onn had not been able to get out in time, probably because the machinery had been complicated inside.  
  
But what could be complicated about phasing into the core, shorting it out by become solid again, and phasing back out? 

It made sense and at the same time did not.  
  
Trying to take his mind off this, Superman asked how badly J'onn was injured.  
  
"Concussion, several gashes," Batman told him. "He'll be out for a while; the concussion was serious." 

He frowned "J'onn will be OK, though, won't he?"  
  
"A blow like that would have killed a normal person, but J'onn's not normal," Batman replied; he allowed the smallest trace of a smile to touch his face, Superman noticed. "He'll be fine."  
  
- - - - -  
  
J'onn didn't wake up that day, or the next. He would stir beneath the thin coverlets of the med-bay, but make no movement that would indicate he was awakening; eyelids would flutter open, then close, without so much as a hint. One of the other members of the league would always be present in the room, keeping watch, hoping that he would wake soon.  
  
On the outside, J'onn appeared to be asleep, sometimes seeming uneasily, other times deeply.  
  
But his mind was a whole different story.  
  
- - - - -  
  
_Where am I?_  
  
_Earth...blue, green, mixture of both...small and large, welcoming and alenating...Mars...warm, sand....family...gone...gone?...yes...gone...not returning...killed...  
  
Want to go back...why did I live...pain...suffering...surrounding...everything seems so painful...don't want to go on..._

_Am I on earth anymore...  
  
Dark as the blackest of nights, or the space between stars in the deepest reaches of space.  
  
I know not whether I stand, if I am flying or running...  
  
...winning or losing..._

_No...  
  
...I do know...  
  
This darkness, I am inside it, but not at the core, there...there in the middle, or perhaps the bottom...further down than I am presently...  
  
It is reaching out to me, asking me to come...telling me something..._

_...but what is it saying...it does not say it in words, but as a feeling...it shows me pictures, of my family, destroyed by the invaders...of my teammates falling in battle, at times when I should have been able to save them..._

_Why does it show me these...I feel the pain and suffering of all, and the guilt and shame that I will always carry within...because I failed...  
  
...  
  
It speaks again...though there are no words, or even actions...but I know what is being said...  
  
...  
  
The darkness will swallow me, and take me away from the pain?  
  
Then I will let myself fall into it, for doing this will take me away from my anguish...it now surrounds me...eyes I did not even realise were open, close, but I cannot tell the difference, since both inside and out it is black...  
  
Just as my hope is...  
  
Why hope, when there is nothing to live for...  
  
I have no family now, so why do I bother to live...  
  
If I leave, I would see them again...  
  
Yes...  
  
I want to let go...let go of all the pain and suffering I have endured...I do not wish to be the last Martian any longer...  
  
I do not want to   
  
Where am I?  
  
Let go...see family...make friends happy...  
  
There is still a spark within...something that keeps me back...but I will soon forget it...I am sure...  
  
Yes...  
  
Soon...  
  
_- - - - -  
  
"I don't understand it; shouldn't he have awakened by now?"  


Batman turned away from the diagnostic panel that was displaying J'onn's condition. He understood Superman's agitation, for he himself did not understand it. It had been almost three days after his injuries, and there still had been no clear signs of their friend waking up any time soon. All of the league were worried, and it showed visibly, as did whenever any of them was injured.  
  
And this was the longest any of them had been.  
  
Slightly more concerning was that over the last twenty-four hours, J'onn's body temperature had steadily increased, hour by hour. At first it would not have been apparent without the data on his physiology that he'd provided in case such injury were to occur.  
  
In the last hour though, it had risen far more quickly, and whereas before he had just lain in the bed, hardly moving, J'onn now slept fitfully, shifting under the coverlet aimlessly, beads of sweat on his forehead, running down his face. His mouth would be slightly open at times, or else pursed into a thin line, as if he were battling some inner demon.  
  
Since he had turned away, Batman did not notice the small signs on the diagnostic screen, showing elevation in breathing rate or brain activity, nor the increased twitching of the eyes; it was only when J'onn took in a sharp breath did Batman and Superman turn around.  
  
Now J'onn moved more erratically, turning from side to side as if to try and escape from something; he groaned deep down in his throat, entire body shaking.  
  
Superman placed a hand on his shoulder, to try and calm him down  
  
"J'onn, wake up!" he pleaded, hating to see one of the team, one of his friends in obvious discomfort. Whether J'onn heard him or not, Superman couldn't tell, but the Martian stopping tossing, lying on his back, still shaking. Now he seemed to be in the grips of a nightmare of some sort, and listening closely, Superman could make out disjointed words; since he could not understand them, they had to be J'onn's native language.  
  
Then, in a split second, J'onn shot straight upwards, eyes flying open.  
  
"NO!" he shouted, then let his head hang slightly, eyes hang half-closed, sweating profusely and breathing in heavy gasps. Before either could ask him how he felt, J'onn turned to them; his eyes were glassy, unfocused. Straining to concentrate on the people in front of him, lidded eyes grew wide again, and he drew away.  
  
Confusion crossed Superman's features. "J'onn...what's wrong?" he asked, taking a step towards the bio-bed. In response, J'onn attempted to get out of the bed, shifting his feet onto the other side and onto the floor. He pushed himself up and held onto the railing beside it; Superman began to walk around the other side, which seemed to agitate J'onn more.  
  
"Get away!" he ordered, but Superman kept on walking. 

"Superman! Don't!" Batman commanded. 

"Why?" Superman asked, hearing the tone of strong warning in Batman's voice.  
  
A warning which was proven to be an accurate one when he was just a few steps away from J'onn, who kept backing away. The Martian's eyes narrowed.  
  
"LEAVE!" he ordered; he swung an arm, catching Superman off guard and sending him flying into a console at the other side of the room, where he lay, wires crackling all around him, smoke rising. Then, without a word, his body became slightly translucent as he transformed into the intangible state he possessed, and J'onn sank into the floor, disappearing in a matter of seconds.  
  
"What on Earth just happened?" Superman groaned, as he picked himself up. He had only been stunned momentarily. He looked to Batman for answers.  
  
"He's delirious," was the simple, short answer. "We need to get him back here, or he could injure himself badly."  
  
"Or us," Superman supplemented, rubbing his head as he gazed at where J'onn had just been, then back to the machinery he had been thrown into.  
  
"Perhaps" Batman frowned "But we'll have to chance it..."   
  
..._or we might have to take drastic action..._  
  
- - - - -  
  
J'onn didn't know that the person he had just flung away had been Superman, in his clouded and feverish mind, he only knew what it told him.  
  
His mind, seconds before he had awoken, had been conjuring up another nightmare, this time, of all his friends being destroyed. Which was why when he had awoken, he believed Superman, and Batman, not to be real. Perhaps clones, or disguised by some sort of trickery. J'onn did not realise, thinking the nightmare to be real, and what had just happened to be a dream.  
  
Not the other way around.  
  
Now, he wandered aimlessly, after phasing through the floor.  
  
Breathing erratically as he ran, he knew that all those here were impostors, for he had seen them die.  
  
Superman had seemed worried, and as thoughtful as always, but the impostor probably knew him well enough to mimic him. All of the others also, J'onn would not hesitate to hurt them in his state, for he knew that to let them find him, and capture him, was to invite destruction.  
  
Tired, J'onn could only feel a small spark of his telepathy, which would be useless if he needed to fight. Strength was still available at the moment, as well as intangibility, but with every passing moment, he felt weaker. They must have done something to him to cause this, to stop him fighting back perhaps?  
  
Yes.  
  
Destroying his friends, the impostors would pay.  
  
He phased through the wall again.  
  
Find them first, before they found him.  
  
The only way.


	5. Running

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Justice League, not even a small bit; if I did, I'd be seeing new episodes instead of repeats of Season 1, but I don't, so I don't.  
  
**Author's notes: **Thanks for all the reviews so far. ^^ Just mentioning a few for questions to answer. ^^  
  
She-Jedi-Siona - J'onn and Flash had that conversation in part one of 'In Blackest Night' in the watchtower, just before the Manhunters fly past ^^  
  
Marzarelo - J'onn is an angsty person ain't he? ^^ I hope my writer's block doesn't attack the other chapters too. ^^  
  
More reviews to be highlighted in further chapters.  
  
No quote or song lyric this time... since I couldn't find one. :P  
  
Anyway, enjoy this chapter ^^ and thanks to Matt for doing the cool HTML thing which seems to hate me. ^^  
**  
  
Recovery**

****

**Chapter Five - Running  
  
**  
- - - - -  
  
"Are we there yet?"  
  
"No," Green Lantern sighed, exasperated for yet another time. He and Flash were returning after taking care of a situation back on Earth. Now they were returning to the Watchtower, and since they hadn't taken one of the shuttles, he was forced to put up with Flash as the force field created by his ring protected them in space as they went back.  
  
Unfortunately, the trip seemed to take longer than usual this time.  
  
"Look," he sighed again. "Why not check in, and stop bothering me?"  
  
"Sure." Flash grinned, activating the earpiece in his head "Hey, Bats...y'there?"  
  
No reply was heard, except for the crackling of interference, and he frowned; somebody was always there.  
  
"Maybe J'onn woke up?" Green Lantern suggested.  
  
"Yeah...but the big guy's up there too..." He trailed off. "I dunno, GL, something's wrong..."  
  
"We'll be back soon kid, then we'll find out," Green Lantern told him. Inside, he was worried as well, since for Flash to appear serious usually meant something _was_ wrong. Subconsciously, he willed the ring to work harder, speeding their return to the Watchtower.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"We need to check all the levels... locking any of the doors won't do any good if he can just phase through them... or even worse." Batman frowned. "If it's bad enough and he tries phasing through into space without a suit... in his condition, I don't think that would cross his mind..."  
  
Superman nodded.  
  
Both were now in the corridor outside the med-bay, trying to plan their next move. Neither wanted to have to hurt J'onn, as they might do to an enemy, and if he could use his intangibility to phase through any of the walls or other obstacles, a good plan would be needed to trap him.  
  
"Hey... the comm-link is flashing," Superman noted, making his way to the other side of the corridor to one of the communicators mounted on the wall, of a similar style to those in a sci-fi series. As he pressed it, immediately Flash's voice came through, and like his speed, at a mile a minute.  
  
"Calm down Flash," Superman said, and Flash did.  
  
"We thought something had happened to ya, big guy... you weren't replying."  
  
"Something has..." Batman frowned on speaking those words.  
  
"What happened?" Green Lantern, using his own earpiece comm-link.  
  
"J'onn woke up...he's delirious, escaped from the med-bay a few minutes ago..."  
  
Green Lantern groaned, while Flash sounded more optimistic. "Piece of cake...we just have to find him, right?"  
  
"Not that easy, Flash," Superman explained. "He thinks we're all out to get him, sent me flying into one of the pieces of equipment in Med-bay, then phased through the walls."  
  
"If he still has all his powers, then we'll be in real trouble," Green Lantern added sombrely.  
  
"Yes." Batman nodded. "But if you can trap him in your force field, then we might be able to contain him."  
  
"It might work," Green Lantern mused. "We'll be there in a few minutes"  
  
- - - - -  
  
True to his word, in less than three minutes he and Flash were met at the entrance of the Watchtower by Superman and Batman, after a quick recap, they learned that J'onn had not been found yet, but that with the security camera's he had been spotted on one of the levels before phasing again, and no sign had been seen or sensed since.  
  
"We'll split into two teams. I'll go with Superman and you and Flash go in the other," Batman explained. "We need at least one person with strength on their side in case he attacks."   
  
Green Lantern nodded. Neither Flash nor Batman were as powerful in terms of strength as himself and Superman, though with him, it was the ring that gave him the edge. And if J'onn did attack one of them, even in a delirious rage, he could be dangerous. Superman could take him one on one, while if Green Lantern found him, hopefully the ring would work in subduing him.  
  
"All right, then... let's go."  
  
They separated.  
  
- - - - -  
  
J'onn combed the level, searching each and every passageway for the enemy. After they had killed the Justice League, except for him, the clones had obviously taken control of the Watchtower. Stealth was of the essence, but after they had done whatever it was to him, making him feel incredibly dizzy and weak, J'onn was forced to rely on his wits.  
  
Every so often he would phase through a floor or wall, trying to shake them off. If he could keep it up long enough to get to the control tower, he would be able to shut them out of it, and then flood the entire base, save for the tower, with knockout gas.  
  
He had no idea what he would do after. As much as he hated and despised them... he did not want to kill them.  
  
The image of Superman trying to help him in the Med-bay still went though his mind... could he be the real Superman...?  
  
"No..." J'onn muttered, as a fresh wave of nausea flowed through him, making him sway for a second. "He is a clone... they will not get away with this..."  
  
_Superman, Batman, Diana, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl...all gone, he could still see their bodies lying still on the ground after the clones had killed them.  
  
He had tried to fight them, but it was seven against one, with his own clone added, which had a demonic grin spread across his face. J'onn felt ill seeing that expression on a face which was, to all intents and purposes, his own.  
  
"We shall kill you, then all those down on Earth." 'J'onn' smiled "You have lost."  
  
"No..." J'onn breathed, then felt a sharp pain across his head. He was falling to the ground, and he looked up through rapidly blurring vision to see the Hawkgirl clone smirking, her mace in her hand.  
  
Then blackness.  
  
_J'onn shook his head. "I will not let them win," he vowed.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"Man... this is not cool," Flash groaned, as he and Green Lantern finished looking in one level, moving to the next.  
  
Green Lantern nodded. "Remember kid, he doesn't think we're his friends right now...so don't do anything stupid."  
  
"Me?" An incredulous look passed over Flash's face "No way, GL... I'm not that dumb."  
  
"Yeah... I guess not." Green Lantern smirked. "Not all the time, anyway."  
  
"Yeah... _hey_!" Flash shot him a glance, opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it; for once, he didn't feel like giving a witty comeback.  
  
He knew this was serious. Despite his remarks when they had been fighting the invaders together, Flash now counted J'onn as a true friend, and he thought the Martian to be kind of like an uncle, the big wise one who always knew what to say... maybe didn't say anything, but you could tell that he understood. But there was still a slight sense that he knew J'onn still didn't feel entirely comfortable living with them.  
  
Flash made a mental note that, once this was all over, he would have to get J'onn to phase into some sort of human disguise and take him to a movie or something. The guy needed to lighten up and see more of Earth.  
  
Flash shot his head upwards with a sharp jerk when Green Lantern spoke.  
  
"He's here."  
  
"What? Where?"  
  
"Just around the corner."  
  
"How d'ya know?" Flash asked, amazed.  
  
Green Lantern motioned down to the ground, where his ring highlighted footprints.  
  
Very recent footprints.  
  
"All right then," he whispered. "We go in, you distract him and I'll trap him in a force field."  
  
"Right," Flash nodded, speeding around the corner.  
  
- - - - -  
  
J'onn turned just in time to see the clone of Flash speed around the corner and stop a few feet away from him.  
  
"Hey, J'onn." Flash grinned. "Come on, it's me, Flash, remember?"  
  
"You are not Flash," J'onn calmly stated. "You are a clone."  
  
"Eh... a clone?" He rubbed his head. "I'm not a clone, J'onn."  
  
"You are a clone." J'onn felt his anger rising. How could he be toyed with like this, this impostor... this clone... was acting in the same way that Flash had always used to; it seemed barbaric to him, his colleague's memory being tarnished like that. 

"You _killed_ the real Flash, and all of the others," he growled deep down, which seemed to surprise the clone. "I shall not let you escape!"  
  
- - - - -  
  
"What the--?!" Flash cried, as J'onn leapt for him, missed, and landed hard on the ground. It took him a while to get up, which Flash surmised was because of his illness.  
  
"Hey, GL!" He shouted at the top of his voice, after another close escape. "I could do with a little help, here!" He was then flung across the room as a fist impacted with his chin. He slid down to the floor, knocked senseless by the blow, as J'onn advanced on him.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"I shall not let you get away with what you have done."  
  
"D... Done?" The clone moaned, rubbing his head. "J'onn, come on big guy, snap out of it... it's me... I'm not a clone!"  
  
J'onn hesitated for just a second. This clone seemed so real, so like the real Flash... could it actually be him?  
  
No... he would not let himself be tricked.  
  
But that one split second was enough... as his fist shot out to hit Flash again, it impacted on a wall of green light. He turned around; the green light seemed to be all around him.  
  
He had lost.  
  
Suddenly, he seemed to realise it had not been a dream.  
  
That had been Flash, and he had almost killed him.  
  
The barrier between dream and the real world was shattered as this dawned on him.  
  
"I am sorry," he said, not facing Flash, who had not heard him anyway. Then the full force of his exertions took its toll; the blackness hovering at the edges of his vision engulfed him, and he let himself fall fully into its welcoming depths.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Green Lantern allowed a grim smile when J'onn collapsed inside the force field. Flash shook his head a few times to clear it and stood up.  
  
Green Lantern tapped his earpiece. "We have him."  
  
"Is he okay?" Superman's voice came back, worried.  
  
"Collapsed just after I got the force field over. Another few seconds and he might have really injured Flash."  
  
"Did he?"  
  
"Nah... the kid got a knock to the face, but nothing serious."  
  
"Hey, I resent that remark," Flash shot back. Superman offered a slight chuckle.  
  
"You're right, he's okay."  
  
"Take him back to the Med-bay." Batman cut into the conversation. "I'll meet you there."  
  
- - - - -  
  
When they reached the Med-bay, Batman was already there, and seemed to be finishing the touches to a device on the side of the bio-bed. After looking to him, Green Lantern laid J'onn down on the surface of the bed and let the force field go.  
  
"This is an early warning system. Whenever he shows signs of elevated body activity, this will let us know even before we see it."  
  
"So we can be alert?"  
  
"Right," Batman replied.  
  
"This isn't fair!" Flash spoke out suddenly. "J'onn doesn't deserve this, it's not right!"  
  
"Yeah, I know kid." Green Lantern nodded "I don't know why we didn't notice sooner..."  
  
"He didn't want you to know." Batman spoke up. All the others turned to him.  
  
"Why wouldn't he want us to know?" Superman asked. "I thought we were his friends..."  
  
"We are," Batman replied. "But I don't think, at the moment, he feels he deserves to call us that."  
  
"What!" Green Lantern frowned. "He's saved all of us at some time. We might not even be here if he hadn't helped to defeat the Invaders..." He shook his head. "I can't understand why he'd think that."  
  
"He's not been the same for a while," Batman said. "Ever since that whole scenario with LeFay and the stone."  
  
Flash nodded, seeming more sombre, which was rare. "Yeah..."  
  
Green Lantern and Superman exchanged glances. "What do you mean?"  
  
"LeFay offered him the chance to regain his family, and for Mars to be revived back to how it was before the Invaders, with the power of the stone. It was highly unlikely she could do it, but I don't think J'onn cared..." Batman paused. "He's still feeling the loss of his family, even after all this time, which was why he only opposed LeFay when she was about to destroy us, only seconds before."  
  
Superman nodded.  
  
"And because he only reacted at the last second, he feels guilty because he might have let us be killed by LeFay..." he mused.  
  
"And that's why he didn't tell us anything. He doesn't want to hurt anyone..." Green Lantern finished.  
  
Batman nodded in agreement. "He's been having nightmares too... I was looking at the security tapes one night and caught one... he's been going down to Earth more often, taking on Monitor Duty, and more missions."  
  
"... He's trying to do enough to keep his mind off it," Green Lantern finished "Great... just great." He sighed, rubbing his head. "So, what do we do now?"  
  
"Wait, I guess." Superman looked at the bio-bed, where J'onn lay, now seeming slightly more comfortable than before. "And when he wakes up... we can try to help." 


	6. Regret

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the show, I do however have a few copies of the comic based on it, and one or two JLA novels, but no actual show, or I'd be sitting with some popcorn watching a new episode.  
  
And considering it's 11.34pm, and I don't like popcorn, I don't think it's going to happen.  
  
**Author's notes: **Lookie! A new chapter. Yes it's a short chapter, but a chapter none the less. I _promise_ a bigger one next time, which is when the real action starts. To anyone who is getting impatient, I'm glad you're enjoying this, but I'll update a chapter when I think it's good enough to show ^^  
  
Anyway, enjoy this one, more J'onn torture [Yes he is my fav character :p] and one day I'll try and do an illustration for it, if I ever manage to draw humans well.

**  
**- - - - -  
  
_'A true friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future and accepts you today, just the way you are'.   
- Anon  
  
_- - - - -  
**  
Recovery  
Chapter six - Regret**  
  
  
  
  


"What happened!"  
  
After re-checking the instruments again, he turned back to the person speaking. Batman, as ever, had the usual emotionless face, with perhaps a touch of foreboding.  
  
This did not make Superman feel any better.  
  
He tried again.  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
The person he was referring to was J'onn. After his escapade a few days before, he'd been fighting his illness at full force. There would be somebody in the infirmary every single part of the day, and during most of that, he would lie restlessly, tossing and turning, with sweat pouring off him. His temperature had gone up as far as they thought it would be able to, and held for a full day.  
  
They almost thought they had lost him, so severe was his illness.  
  
And this was when Superman had come in, to find his fellow team-mate placing an oxygen mask over J'onn's face. He didn't remember seeing one in there before, but that didn't matter.  
  
"It's necessary" was all Batman said.  
  
"Why...is it that bad..." he probed tentivly, perhaps afraid of the answer.   
  
Batman nodded.  
  
"He's been struggling to breathe...the fever's coming down, but it's already taken a lot out of him...he needs help"  
  
"Going down...is he recovering?"   
  
A glimmer of hope perhaps?  
  
"He might be" Batman answered, provoking the other into losing the small optimism as quickly as it had come. He did not need to hide anything. This first statement was followed by another, which if possible, was even more depressing.  
  
"But just because the fever came down, doesn't mean it won't go up again"   
  
Batman paused, and Superman found himself staring with a gasp caught in his throat. Batman frowning did not seem to bode well in this case, or had done in any other for that matter.  
  
"Even if it keeps going down, he's been fighting it for too long...add to it the fact he's been driving himself too hard, and is obviously not in high-moral, and it could mean that he just doesn't have the strength to fight it"  
  
"No!" Superman shouted, unable to stay silent any longer "He's not an ordinary person..."  
  
"Even superheroes have weaknesses" Batman fixed his gaze.  
  
He was right, and even though he said nothing more, turning back to the console, he knew what the other was thinking.

  
Yes...they did.  
  
Superman hung his head, and took another glance at their friend still lying in the bed, now with the mask on, and left the room. His spirits, like everybody else's, were not high, and had not been since this whole thing had begun.  
  
- - - - -  
  
It took another two days before there was any change in his condition, bringing the total period of time since he had succumbed to the illness to almost two full weeks. Weeks spent, filled, with the emotions of worry, concern and sadness.   
  
Even the normally cheerful Flash succumbed to this malady, and this made it more sombre.  
  
They knew he still felt alone, isolated, growing up where they had not.  
  
They would have liked…no, wished, wanted, to make him feel a sense of belonging.  
  
None of them cared in the slightest where J'onn came from, that he was not a native of Earth. After all, Superman had not been born on it either, and though he had grown up there, he still knew his birth planet, Krypton, to be where he had been born. But he did not count it as his home; the people of Earth had accepted him, when they could have feared him as not being of their world.  
  
That trust meant everything to him.  
  
Hawkgirl also, was not of Earth, but a faraway planet called Thanagar, and she also counted Earth to be her home, though she had grown up on her birth planet. It was by a rift in space-time, that she had ended up here, but she, as Superman did, took the Earth as her real home.  
  
J'onn however, did not seem to be able to accept it. Superman had lost his home when only an infant, and Hawkgirl through circumstance, and it had been a world full of war and turmoil, perhaps more so than Earth, so neither felt their separation badly.  
  
But for J'onn, he had grown up on Mars; it had been peaceful and happy. When he did speak of his family, though this was very rarely, and only in short sentences, because of the pain it carried to mention them, his voice held such emotion, that they had been the most joyful times of his life, and it had been cruelly ripped away by the Invaders, who had destroyed all those who inhabited the planet, including those he had held so dear.  
  
Then to spend so long guarding the doorway behind which the Invaders had been sealed into, and to rest for a slight time, and they to escape and head to Earth.  
  
Leaving the place you were born out of fear, did not bring with it, the same emotional ties that would come with being forced to leave, out of desperation, or because you are alone, and the places you once stood in, with friends, or with family, still hold the memories, both happy and sad. But when you step in there, knowing you are alone, these memories become something like acid, to eat away at you until there is nothing more for them to consume.  
  
J'onn could have just not cared, let them destroy him, and perhaps be reunited with his family again.  
  
But he had tried to escape, and failing that, managed to contact Superman, then the rest of the now formed Justice League, so that Earth would have a chance of not ending up as Mars had done.  
  
He had helped them win, and in doing this, became, to the league, a true friend, and as Flash had once said, and the rest agreed, more human than ever.  
  
But he still felt isolated from them, he was the quietest member, and spent most of his time up at the Watchtower, it was rare to see him doing anything that was not related to the team.  
  
They all hoped he recovered, and vowed to try and make him feel that he didn't need to be alone.  
  
Not any more.  
  
- - - - -  
  
But then something happened to change everything.  
  
It began slowly, and Green Lantern was the first to notice the strange readings on the monitor in the medbay during his watch. He alerted Batman, who said nothing, but just watched the readings, and if it could be termed for him, with a tension of fear in the air.  
  
"No...." he growled deeply, making Flash, who had taken over from the watch an hour before, jump up from the magazine he had been leafing through, fixing him with a worried gaze.  
  
"Bats.... what's wrong?"  
  
Normally Batman would have given Flash a look for that remark...but this time it didn't provoke him in the slightest.  
  
This was slightly unnerving.  
  
"Get the others together," he said simply, without questioning him, since Flash knew this was serious, he sped from the room, delivering the message to all the members in turn, who were, being a rare occurrence, all in the Watchtower.  
  
- - - - -  
  
A few minutes later, all, with the exception of J'onn, were gathered in what you might term a 'discussion' room. Basically this was where if needed, they could all gather to discuss anything of vital importance. And from Batman's expression, though slightly hard to tell under the mask, this defiantly classed as 'vital'.  
  
"What's wrong?" Diana asked, after a long period of silence.  
  
"Did something happen to J'onn?" Hawkgirl prompted.  
  
Slowly he nodded.  
  
"Is it good?"  
  
A shake of his head this time.  
  
All exchanged worried looks, this sort of behaviour from Batman was strange to say the least, and it put them all on edge.  
  
"He's not..."  
  
Superman's sentence was left unfinished as he trailed off, unable to even think of the prospect.  
  
"No..." Batman finally spoke "He's not dead"  
  
Obviously it wasn't as hard for him to say, but considering him, it wasn't hard to believe.  
  
"What happened then?"  
  
"Earlier this evening, Green Lantern alerted me to a change in the readings coming from the monitoring system set up in the medbay which is continually scanning J'onn's condition" He made sure that this explanation was clear and coherent, and telling it like this seemed easier, and even Flash understood.  
  
"When he alerted me" Batman continued after a pause "I noticed that the brainwave readings were fluctuating, and every so often they would decline, and then rise again" he paused again, making the silence more uncomfortable, then carried on, "This continued for several hours, until they dropped to the lowest that any physical being, whether it human or otherwise, can survive upon"  
  
He stopped once more, and the others looked at each other with confusion, and worry, then turned back to Batman, looking for an answer.  
  
They were given one, and it wasn't good.  
  
"He's in a coma"


	7. Refusal

**Disclaimer** : I don't own J'onn J'onzz, or any of the other Justice League characters. They all belong to DC comics. I do own a few copies of the comics, and my tape of Secret Origins.  
  
**Authors note** : I am so pleased with all the reviews and support I've had for this fic, this chapter is meant to be an extra long one to make up for all the short chapters before it. Hopefully they'll all be this size, or more, from now on. Thanks for this chapter must go to all my reviwers, and Artemis Hawk for listening to me rabble over AIM *hugs* go read her Hawkgirl fic now ^^ It's good :-D  
  
And now for our feature presentation *grins* and yes, I suck at battle scenes, as you will see :-p [and coming up with chapter names beginning with 'r' ^_^;]  
  
  
**Recovery  
Chapter seven - Refusal**  
  
  
  
  


  


  
"Coma...but how could that happen?"  
  
From his last words, Batman had stunned the entire league. Even Flash was dumfounded by this sudden, and unexpected news. It all seemed too much for any of them to accept. That one of their friends could be affected by something so badly, that it threatened their life. Perhaps it was the fact that most of the group were in some way, invulnerable to almost anything, and had such powers, that would be unimaginable by the normal population of the world.  
  
It did not seem right that this should happen.  
  
And even more so that it had not been as a result of a direct confrontation with any villain...but a seemingly unnoticed foe.  
  
Fear.  
  
J'onn had always seemed so distant from them, more so when there was nothing to fight against. In those times, the gap seemed wider than ever. None of them could say with absolute sincerity that in that first battle, against the Invaders, when they had met him, that they had not doubted him. That then, they had not thought he could be trouble, or not to be trusted.  
  
All could say now, that whatever feelings they had then, would not apply now.  
  
They could all say, that they trusted him completely, as they did each other. It didn't matter that J'onn was not human... Superman wasn't, neither was Hawkgirl [and some even, jokingly of course, suggested Batman couldn't be human] and they trusted them! But it was easier to get closer to them. Superman, or Hawkgirl did not have the weight of seeing their planet overrun, their families killed, and then being alone. The former knew what it was like to have a planet destroyed, and the latter being in turmoil, but Superman had been too young, and Hawkgirl not to the same degree. And she seemed more able to bear negativity than J'onn.  
  
Despite his ferocity during battle, outside of it, J'onn was sensitive more so than any of them. He often seemed unable to joke, though would sometimes come out with a humorous outlook or suggestion. But for the most part, he felt, and appeared, alone.  
  
And all of them were determined to change that.  
  
If he recovered.  
  
That thought was too horrible to think about.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Watchtower duty.  
  
Which literally meant what it said, watching the tower.  
  
Which was, quite unsurprisingly, boring.  
  
Especially when the life of one of your friends was hanging over you whatever you were doing.  
  
Batman would never admit it, but he was worried, and his expressions, firmly folded from years of crime fighting, and the events of his childhood, would not let anybody know what he was feeling.  
  
The only person who had ever been able to tell, without asking, what was wrong, had been J'onn. Even Alfred had sometimes been clueless about such things, but his Martian friend had no such trouble.  
  
If you were to take the telepathy into consideration, it made perfect sense.  
  
Except that he knew with absolute certainty that J'onn would never do that.  
  
For one, he would not violate his privacy on any costs, unless it was a matter of life and death. For example, some sort of demonic possession [which was more likely to happen than it seemed] He didn't know if if was some sort of code for his race, or simply a part of who he was, but it stood that J'onn would never, ever do such a thing.  
  
Which made what happened next, slightly unexpected, to say the least.  
  
The other thing, was that, for all the seemingly distance he would put between them, J'onn trusted them with his life. And he in return, trusted J'onn. When you looked at the fact of destroying the philosophers stone to save them, instead of holding onto the hope that LeFay's promise would still ring true, it showed just how deep his trust would go.  
  
Batman's time was now divided between his stints of heroic venture in Gotham, in the black garb that had served him so well for many years, and remaining at the watchtower, and then usually in the med-bay.  
  
He knew that somewhere, somehow, there was a solution that would help J'onn.  
  
But so far, he had not found it.  
  
It was close to midnight when it happened. Though with their base being a floating satellite type construction in space, above the Earth, it could be considered to be any time of the day. But as they all had met in America, and most had either been brought up, born, or now lived there, it was the obvious time zone to have as the Watchtower. It actually was tuned to the same part of the US time zone that had been the site of their first meeting, on the mountains close to the facility where J'onn had been held captive.  
  
He had been hunched over a computer console, trying to work out something that could help, when he noticed the readings for the brain activity fluctuating.  
  
Slight changes could be attributed to when he had been ill...  
  
But in a coma, the readings should not have been changing at all.  
  
Studying it closer, Batman could see that they were the only readings with any sort of difference. Breathing, heart rate, metabolic reaction, they all stayed exactly the same.  
  
In any normal human in a coma, when brain readings changed, their physical condition would make a change also.  
  
Wait a second...  
  
It made sense.  
  
Physical condition...  
  
The only way that J'onn's brain readings could change, without any other life signs doing the same, would be if his telepathy were being used. When the Invaders on Earth had held him captive, he had been able to send a telepathic message to Superman, even when secured with restraints, and under sedation. He had no control over his physical body...  
  
But his mind...had been left free.  
  
Not completely...J'onn had said that while captive, he had been fitted with a device that would send a pulse throughout him whenever he tried to use his telepathy, in an attempt to block it from his use. But with supreme strength, and force of will, he had overcome it, and sent his message.  
  
So why not now...  
  
Perhaps his body was weak, and the punishment he had put himself through had taken it to the point where he had fallen into the coma...but his mind was still there.  
  
Maybe he could reach J'onn...  
  
But how was he to accomplish this...  
  
When J'onn used them to contact his friends, he did not have to physically touch, which made it possible to do it from a great distance. But when he himself had been held captive by Lex Luthor and his 'Injustice gang', after breaking the machine that held him, Batman had been able to reach J'onn simply by thinking it in his mind.  
  
Well, it was worth a shot.  
  
But it didn't work, and he slammed his fist onto the table.  
  
"Why..." he muttered; now pacing around the room.  
  
The problem was simple, when he thought about it. J'onn's condition did not help much, and that he was not on the alert for Batman to try this.  
  
Also, he had a sneaking suspicion that when he had left to spy on Lex Luthor and his gang, J'onn had created a telepathic link between them, but carefully hid it to avoid detection.  
  
So what now...  
  
Perhaps, he thought; since J'onn was not strong enough to initiate telepathic contact on his own...some sort of physical contact was needed. The somber fact was that it appeared to be the only thing left to try, and if he didn't find any way to get through to J'onn, he would remain in the coma...and it could be for a very long time...  
  
Batman glanced over at the monitors once more, hoping for some sort of blip, a waver, something to indicate that he was recovering.  
  
But there was nothing.  
  
When his hand came into contact with the green forehead, he felt a small spark shudder throughout his entire body, from the hand, right through to his feet. It was a totally eerie feeling, not at all painful, and in essence was like the static shock one would have after rubbing against material, then touching something metallic in nature. It could be a sign that his suspicions were correct, and this made him more hopeful.  
  
Encouraged by this sign, Bruce then opened up his mind, just as he had done when held captive by Lex Luthor, after tricking Grundy and destroying the force field which had meant to prevent him from contacting J'onn. It was almost impossible to place into words how telepathic contact worked, and even that short message he had sent then took a great deal of concentration, and also information discovered when he had discussed it with J'onn once. The best way to describe it, was to liken the whole process as thinking what you wanted to say to whoever the target was in your mind, then trying to...send it to them.  
  
It sounded strange, and difficult, but it was completely true.  
  
Inhaling deeply, for there was nobody around who could see this small lapse in his character, and if any had been there, they would have most probably tried to prevent him from doing it.  
  
_'J'onn, can you hear me?'  
  
_He spoke it mentally, aiming it at the mind of the Martian who lay in the bio-bed in front of him. Batman kept his hand on the long forehead, and could feel a slight throbbing, from one of the blood vessels underneath the skin. This in itself was normal; a human could put their hand on his or her forehead and feel their own as well.  
  
For a minute he didn't hear anything except his own breathing, that of his friend, and the slight noises of the various machines in the room.  
  
It happened gradually, but he soon found himself becoming aware that all the sounds in the room became more muted, dimming down in volume. Even his own breathing started to fade into the background. The sensation of actually taking in air to his lungs was still there, but the sound was not. In fact, every single other sound around him was gone, and nothing but a dead silence remained.  
  
_"J'onn?"  
  
_Still nothing, and doubts emerged inside, was the experiment working, or had it all just been a empty hope...  
  
Then he felt the spark again, and without anything else to distract him, no breathing, no noise of any kind, and now he didn't feel in any physical sense of the word, Batman was able to follow it.  
  
_"tman..."_  
  
_"J'onn?" _ That voice had not been his own, not from his mouth or his mind, and though there was no face to put to it, and the word had been left unfinished, he knew it was him, how could it be anyone else...diving in deeper, his mental self grasped at the tiny spark as it drifted further away. He had no hands to catch it with in the mental plane of existence, no idea of what would happen when he caught it. But that didn't matter at that moment; nothing seemed to matter except finding it, catching it...  
  
He caught it.  
  
Not with his hands, or his feet, or any part of his body, it was caught in his mind, where determination, perseverance and courage dwelled, and the place in which all his strength to complete his duty as Batman lay. Where as Bruce Wayne, his analytical, intelligence, and good humour had a home.  
  
He caught the spark, what he believed completely and absolute, to be the essence of J'onn J'onzz...  
  
...with his will.  
  
The moment he did, everything around him faded, and a disorientated feeling flowed throughout him.  
  
_"atman..."  
  
"J'onn, where are you?"  
  
"tman..."  
  
"J'onn?" _ He strained his hearing further to try and grasp what was being said, the voice became stronger, but each time he heard his name being called, it was cut off, or not completed. Feeling himself being drawn deeper and deeper into a strange void after capturing the essence, any attempt at struggling out was in vain.  
  
It seemed all at once that the void halted.  
  
The disorientation ebbed away, his thoughts becoming clearer. Batman could feel his heartbeat again, stretching out his fingers, and inhaling and exhaling. All of his physical feeling was back after the strange experience.  
  
But what was to become after he opened his eyes was even more bizarre.  
  
Batman found himself standing on warm red sand, gazing around he saw mountainous peaks edging towards the sky in the distance. Hills more nearby. Then, much nearer, there were buildings of difference shapes and sizes, which to an architect would seem strange. Some were tall and thin, others short and rounded. Many had balconies jutting out from the tops, and most were of a tinted blue. In the sky was the sun, and though extremely faint, two moons could be seen.  
  
Somehow, he had entered J'onn's memories of his home and family. For he had no doubt where he now stood.  
  
On Mars.  
  
He knew it wasn't possible to physically be on the red planet, which obviously meant that this was a product of J'onn's memories.  
  
Hearing a sound, he turned to see that the peaceful serenity of the planet was being disrupted, as explosions raged throughout the landscape. His dread increased as from the smoke came the form of the spindly legs of the large structure that had landed on earth after being thought to be a meteor.  
  
It was the tool of the Invaders, who had tried to use them to destroy the Earth, but failed.  
  
The same could not be said of Mars, and Batman realized that this must be the memory contained within J'onn of when the Invaders were taking over the red planet.  
  
Seconds later he had made it into the center of the city, and terrified Martians, female, male, children, young and old were running frantically in every direction. They seemed not to notice Batman walking amongst them, and when one ran straight through him, it became obvious that here he had no actual form.  
  
His hearing caught the sound of a cry.  
  
"M'y'ria!"  
  
The name seemed familiar, and he had to think hard before it registered in his mind.  
  
He had heard it at the home of Henry Moss, one of the remaining living archeologists who had excavated the castle where the philosophers stone had been for centuries. They had been searching for the stone in hopes of getting it before LeFay, but she had come looking for it as well. But whilst he and Etrigen had fought her, J'onn had fallen into the same delusion that the sorceress had inflicted on him when he had tried to connect with her mind.  
  
Just before Etrigen had angrily connected a blow to try and get him out of it, J'onn had uttered that name, arms reaching forward to what must have been an illusion.  
  
Etrigan had reached into J'onn's mind when he was first attacked mentally by LeFay, and obviously knew what had gone on there, but had said nothing.  
  
Turning to the direction the sound had come from, he could see a group of Invaders, in their original forms, advancing on a Martian. Of those, three held prisoners of another adult, more slender than the other, obviously a female, and two much smaller, children.  
  
Realization dawned on Batman at that moment.  
  
The way he had heard J'onn call out that name...  
  
It held tones of protectiveness, sincerity...and love.  
  
M'y'ria was his wife, which meant the Martian being forced backwards towards a wall, must be J'onn, and the two smaller Martians, his children.  
  
They were struggling, and crying out. But even more distressing was the fact that the grip of another, M'y'ria was not moving at all. Her head hung down, eyes lifeless, and her arms and legs lay limply.  
  
For a moment Batman was reminded of the sight just after his own parents had been killed...he could imagine exactly how J'onn's children had felt right then. And to know that this was just an illusion, and that they would not survive into the future, was even more chilling.  
  
J'onn was obviously just as distressed as it could be.  
  
The invader closest to him, like the others was holding a weapon, and pointing it at him. Then he spoke, with no mouth it was impossible to tell. He said something, but it must have been in Martian language, or their own, because he didn't understand it.  
  
Whatever it was, J'onn understood it, and his eyes flashed with anger, his posture tensed and fist clenched.  
  
"You will not get away with this!" he shouted, and the Invader seemed to chuckle.  
  
"Brave words for someone who shall not live long" it said, slipping into Martian, which Batman could understand from the mental link.  It then motioned to the two who were holding the children, who then let go and they ran towards him.  
  
But before they even got close, the Invader who had spoken to J'onn motioned again to their captors, and both raised their arms, and aimed their weapons at the running children.  
  
Batman could see what was coming, and so could J'onn, who tried to run to them, but anger crossed his face as more Invaders grabbed his arms and stopped him from going any further. He struggled against them, but they took their weapons and fired a small shot at him. He fell to his knees crying in pain, and was soon firmly in their grip.  
  
Just as the shots were fired, and both children fell.  
  
The cry of anguish was so great, that J'onn was able to throw his captors away from him, and run across to where they lay.  
  
Lifeless...just as M'y'ria was.  
  
He cradled them, tears spilling from his eyes, which he closed as he cried.  
  
Then, gently, he lay them both down, and stood, eyes flaring at those who had just killed them.  
  
And he attacked.  
  
He took out the first three without any difficultly, phasing when they tried to shoot at him, then connecting with his fists afterwards.  
  
Then as he was dealing with the fourth, another, behind him, was creeping up stealthily. Unconsciously, Batman reached into his utility belt, pulled out a batarang, and flung it at the Invader, flinging his weapon from his hands, and causing it, the others, and J'onn, to look at where it had originated.  
  
J'onn's expression was one of shock, and slight relief, since he had been helped, and the Invaders seemed confused, though it was hard to tell. Whatever they were feeling, they obviously deemed him a threat, and began firing. The next few minutes were spent trying to get the remaining Invaders away from them.  
  
During this heated battle, both were moving around so much that soon they found themselves back to back.  
  
Which was when Batman got yet another surprise, as J'onn looked at him, not with confusion as to who he was, but more of a confusion to as why he was there. A spark of recognition in his eyes and he uttered the other's name with some surprise. But there was no time to stop at the moment, there were still more of the Invaders left to fight, two in fact, for each fighter [Ok...I've been reading too many DBZ fics ^_^;]  
  
But they did not seem as confident as before, now that their companions had been felled, and it wasn't long before both lay in the dirt, send sprawling by the combined attacks of Batman and J'onn.  
  
The sky above was darkened, as the Invaders had done to Earth, since they lived in perpetual darkness, but there was still enough of a light to fight, and to see.  
  
It was unlikely this peace would last for long; more Invaders would surely be coming to find what had happened to the others.  
  
J'onn looked at Batman.  
  
Batman, looked at J'onn.  
  
"How is it you are here?" J'onn finally asked, after a few seconds of silence, which seemed to stretch out more than they had actually been.  
  
"You know me?"  
  
A nod.  
  
"Yes, we fight together..." he trailed off "...but I cannot understand why I am here" his head hung, and eyes dulled, he glanced back to the bodies of his family, which, despite what had happened, only looked as if they were sleeping. It seemed better this way.  
  
"I have failed them" J'onn murmured, "It is because of this I deserve to see it again, I must not be allowed to be happy"  
  
Batman swore "Like hell you don't!"  
  
J'onn said nothing  
  
"You didn't fail them!" Batman growled, "You did the best you could to save them!"  
  
"But it wasn't enough..."  
  
He swore again, clenching his fist and sending a glare at the Martian, who kept his downcast expression.  
  
"I know what it's like to see someone you care be killed..." Batman began, for once, letting his guard down. Normally he would not let it down for anyone, but in these circumstances, he would permit it. And for somebody who had helped him countless times, even when he had been unwilling to accept he needed it, he felt it was his duty to help.  
  
"I know that feeling, and I kept thinking that I could have saved them" he paused "But I know deep down, that I couldn't, that I did everything possible, and that I can't change the past"  
  
He looked at J'onn, who met his gaze uneasily.  
  
"But I can change the future"  
  
For a brief moment, it seemed as if what he was saying was getting through.  
  
Only for a moment.  
  
Then J'onn turned away "No... you were young..." he knew about what had happened, and this only made him more anguished "But I am an adult...I did not try hard enough!"  
  
"J'onn!"  
  
The Martian said nothing, simply walking away, until he became nothing more than a figure in the distance, obscured by the swirling sands. Batman made to go after him, but it had only been a few steps taken before he felt the disorientating feeling, washing over him again.  
  
It was too late, as he found himself back in the watchtower, in the med bay, and his mind no longer connected to J'onn's own.  
  
He felt angry, with himself, and with J'onn. He had hoped to convince his friend not to give up, but it had not worked then.  
  
But now, he did have a plan, and next time, he was sure it would work.  
  
And now, he admitted he needed help.


	8. Reinforcements

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Justice League, it belongs to DC comics, so don't try to sue me...I don't have anything you want.  
  
**Authors note****:**  I apologize for the lateness of this chapter...almost two months! I didn't forget, but I had writers block for a lot of the time, and what I did write sounded horrible, and I didn't want to give you anything I didn't like. I expect it to be wrapped up in the next chapter, and I'm going to add one more as an authors note and thanks, and if anyone wants to ask me any questions, I'll answer them in it too.  
  
In this chapter, I thank Plutonianpick, who I think really wanted this chapter, and gave me the title for it, thanks! And to Matt Morwell, my beta reader and friend *hugs* who looked over it for me ^^  
  


  
**Recovery  
Chapter eight - Reinforcements**  
  


  
  
  
  
In a world of heroes, villains, aliens and other assorted things, finding something that was completely and absolutely unbelievable was quite often hard to do.  
  
If you could find something like that, which Flash would often say would be like seeing Batman smile...or even more extreme, laugh, would make the entire world stop.  
  
If you'd been told that less than an hour ago, your best friend's mind had had a visitor, that the visitor had seen your best friend's memories playing themselves out, and that the visitor had been able to interact with your best friend... well, that was about as close to a 'Batman smile' moment as you could get.  If it were possible to use, one of them would have brought a Kodak camera.  
  
Of course, such doubts were extinguished in a nanosecond when the person telling you this, actually was Batman.  
  
Perhaps it was partly because of the fear he initiated just by his presence, or the fact that just looking at him, you knew he didn't lie, but whatever it was, it was extremely hard not to believe him.  
  
Of course, when he then told you that in the next few minutes, you would all be inside that persons mind, trying to stop them from dying, by facing his illusions, even the most steadfast and closest person to the dark knight could not help but wonder if he had secretly been at the Bat-booze.  
  
But this was no ordinary person.  
  
When you were talking about a Martian, with superhuman strength, the ability to go immaterial, fly...ordinary pretty much went out the window, flinging through the sky, and halfway across Alpha Centuri.  
  
And when this Martian also had telepathic powers...well...ordinary had found a place much much further away.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"I get the whole plan of entering J'onn's mind, but how are we meant to do that?" John Stewart said "None of us have any sort of telepathic power"  
  
"If I can get in, so can you"  
  
"Is there a big risk that we could do damage to ourselves?" Superman queried  
  
"Only if we fail to convince J'onn he is needed, and his brain fails to function, we could be trapped inside, our physical bodies comatose"  
  
"...just like J'onn" Diana murmured, none of them said anything, and she stretched her hand to the middle of the table "I'm in, J'onn is too much a part of the team for us to do anything but our best to save him"  
  
"I agree" Superman nodded, placing his hand onto Diana's, with their own assent, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl soon followed. Batman didn't join in the placing of hands on each other to signify their agreement, but he felt the same as they did.  
  
"We need to do this quickly, with every passing minute, the monitor measuring his brain activity falls lower, and it is the only think keeping him alive apart from the machines, and without that activity, he'll be nothing more than a husk"  
  
His words were blunt, cruel even, but they only served to make the rest of them more determined. Right now, their own lives mattered little, compared to that of their friend.  
  
The next few minutes passed in a blur, as they made their way to the medical bay. The seriousness of the situation was instant by the sight of the machines, a respirator helping J'onn to breathe, and another measuring his vital functions. Even more sobering was the sight of his original form lying there, the energy needed to maintain it no longer present.  
  
Time was of the essence.  
  
There was not even enough to set up anything to connect them to the real world in case of emergency. The hours, even days it could take for that to happen could mean the difference between life and death.  
  
Crowded around the bed, with a hand on his arms, which lay outside of the covers, resting on the top, each of them closed their eyes, and concentrated. Each felt slightly silly doing it, but when a strange mist seemed to settle over their minds, and a feeling of weightlessness drifted throughout the room, as if they were floating on air, it seemed to be working.  
  
All could feel as if their minds, their own consciousness, was detached from the rest of them, and if they opened their eyes, would imagine something out of a near death experience, as if they would be floating above their bodies, while they were in this state.  
  
But none opened their eyes, until a flash of light, so bright, each felt as if their corneas were being burnt, forced them to squeeze them even tighter, until it started to dim.  
  
The first to open their eyes was Diana, tentivly, slightly afraid that something had gone wrong, but was met by the sight of a metal room, not unlike the medical bay.  
  
But it wasn't the medical bay, she knew that, but didn't recognize it in the slightest.  
  
As the others looked around, the only ones who showed any sort of recognition were Clark and Bruce. The man of steel and the dark knight had different reactions, Superman, was confused, but Batman, whether it was because this was not the first time he had experienced it, did not seem it in the slightest.  
  
"We're here..." Superman mused "You said we'd come to places that J'onn has memories of, right?" he directed this at Batman, who tilted his head slightly in assent.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"That explains why we're here then..."  
  
"What is this place?" Flash spoke up, head whirling around as he took in all the high tech equipment "Some kind of laboratory?"  
  
"In a way..." Superman nodded "This is where we found J'onn, after he tried contacting me..."  
  
"Guys!" Hawkgirl shouted "Over here" she had wandered away from the group, and was standing at the far end of the room, a door open slightly, so that she could peer around it. Whatever she had seen was obviously important.  
  
As they came to her, she pushed the door fully open, after explaining there was nobody in the room, save one person.  
  
"I doubt we'll be noticed anyway"  
  
"Why?" she asked, looking at Batman  
  
"When I was inside J'onn's mind before, I was unnoticed until I made myself known"  
  
"As if we're invisible?"  
  
"In a way, but we shouldn't be noticed until we make direct contact with his mind, right now, J'onn doesn't know we're here, his mental strength isn't high enough. If we make verbal contact, then anything in here will be able to see and hear us"  
  
"And hurt us?" Diana asked, afraid of the answer.  
  
"Yes"  
  
"Well, now that this cheerful moment is over, can we find out what's in there" Green Lantern prompted sarcastically.  
  
Entering the room, even Batman and Superman appeared shocked. On a metal backed board on a vertical platform, both wrists and legs shackled with what appeared to be the same material, was J'onn. Here, he was in his original form, and his eyes were tightly shut, and tears trickled from them. His mouth drawn in a fine line, and on his body were veins which were swollen.  
  
"What are they doing to him!" Diana uttered disgusted, with wide eyes "He looks in so much pain"  
  
"I don't know..." Superman murmured "This is obviously before we got here..."  
  
The door opened again, and each of them ducked to the side of the wall. But as Batman had said, the figure walked past without so much as a word or glance in their direction, making his way up to the writhing Martian. When he had entered, the figure had been human, but in this place with no windows and little light, his form shifted until the league found themselves looking on the form of an invader.  
  
"We cannot just let him go through this!" Hawkgirl hissed, raising her mace, but Green Lantern held her back  
  
"No...We have to see what happens"  
  
"Fine" she muttered, but made no further move, arms crossed, one gripping the mace tightly.  
  
The invader opened his mouth, but spoke english as he threatened J'onn.  
  
"You shall tell us who you were trying to contact"  
  
J'onn's eyes flashed open; the pain he was going through could be seen plainly.  
  
"Never!" he hissed  
  
"We know you are attempting to contact one of the inhabitants of this backwater planet Martian" The Invader growled, reaching for a dial, which he turned, and J'onn screamed in pain each time, but said nothing.  
  
"Your mind is a lot stronger than we anticipated" the Invader mused "But this should break it enough so that we shall know who you were trying to find" his voice had a sadistic tone when he reached for a vial, and inserted it into something that resembled a needle for an injection. Then he positioned it right over one of the swollen veins and pressed the tip of the needle deep into the skin.  
  
The dark purple chemical spread through his body quickly, the veins which could be seen plainly were soon the same colour as the vile mixture.  
  
The actual process caused J'onn to do nothing more than grit his teeth and struggle vainly, but as soon as the chemical was gone, his eyes bulged and he inhaled and began to choke. His entire body writhed in pain, but he could not cry out as his airways were restricted. The invader merely chucked as this happened, then grabbed J'onn's arm and began to squeeze it.  
  
"TELL ME!"  
  
"N...n...ne...NEVER!" J'onn managed to cry, but even the league could see from where they were stood, that this was a battle J'onn was losing. His eyes dimmed, and just seconds after that outburst, he let out a strangled cry and his head limply hung. The Invader laughed again, and placed his hands on both side of J'onn's head, closing his eyes.  
  
"You were wrong to oppose us, your abilities would have been such an asset to our cause"  
  
He let go of his head a second later, and morphed back into his human form, eyes narrowed and a smirk spreading across his features, which made all of the league clench their fists and grit their teeth.  
  
"Thank you so much for the information, I shall now be able to catch this...Superman...and the others, off guard" he snapped his fingers and another Invader came into the room, the first motioned towards J'onn, who had now regained consciousness halfway, and glared through half closed eyes. "See that he is kept secure, with enough time, we may be able to make him useful!"  
  
This was enough for Hawkgirl, who let out a battle cry and jumped from where she had stood.  
  
J'onn looked at her, and the instant he did, both the Invaders noticed as well. But it was too late when they did, as the electrified mace swung through the air, smashing through their bodies and separating them in two. Superman, knowing their weakness, flew to the ceiling and tore a hole in the roof, allowing a large beam of light to shine through onto the dismembered bodies, which began to melt and let off a foul smelling steam as they were destroyed.  
  
Diana had headed straight for J'onn, and along with Flash, was ripping off the restraints, letting him fall into their arms.  
  
He glared up at them through bleary eyes.  
  
"How are you here..." he muttered "I failed...they are to destroy you..."  
  
"J'onn...this isn't real!" Diana uttered "It's an illusion"  
  
"No...real...very real...this pain..."  
  
"J'onn" Batman said in a low voice "The pain seems real because your telepathy is intensifying it, but Diana is right, it is just an illusion"  
  
"If it were real" Superman said as he stood next to J'onn, still supported by Diana and Flash "You would only recognize me...you didn't meet the rest of us until after myself and Batman rescued you from the invaders, remember?"  
  
J'onn shut his eyes, they were squeezed shut as a wave of pain went through him "Y...yes..." he murmured "I...I remember..."  
  
"Good!" Green Lantern nodded  
  
"They...they used that potion on me...but I resisted it...they did not find out who I was trying to contact...then you came...and we fought the invaders outside...I remember collapsing...the potion was still lingering slightly..."  
  
"See J'onn...you're not a failure!" Superman smiled "You just let yourself think that"  
  
A smile crossed the Martians features "I...did not fail you?"  
  
"Never" Diana smiled "You saved us many times, you just let yourself think that you had failed"  
  
"Y..Yes" he smiled again "And if this is an illusion...I cannot be injured..." he stated, and let go of the support from Diana and Flash, standing upright, eyes flashing. But he faltered a second later, and they supported him again.  
  
"Your body and mind are still damaged J'onn" Batman said "There's still a chance that..."  
  
"...I could die" the Martian nodded "I know, I have allowed myself to fall too deeply, but I shall try with every fiber of my being to..." he was cut off as a fresh wave of pain soared throughout his body.  
  
"Q..quickly!" he managed to choke out "It is too dangerous for you to remain any longer!"  
  
"J'onn!" Diana shouted "Don't give up!"  
  
"I am not...the energy!" he yelled.  
  
But as they all looked on at his struggling form, the scene in front of them began to waver and disorientation washed over them all. And in a flicker of a second, they found themselves looking not at the laboratory, but at the equipment of the watchtowers medical bay. Batman immediately went to the monitors and his fingers flew across the keys and his eyes on the screen.  
  
Diana glanced as J'onn, who seemed the same as before, then walked up to Batman, standing behind him.  
  
"Did it work...?"  
  
"Before we went in, with every hour, his brain activity would fall. At our time of entry, it was at forty nine percent"  
  
"And now?"  
  
"It's forty nine percent"  
  
"Is that good?"  
  
Batman nodded "If there had been a decrease, I would be worried, but even though it is still at the same as when we entered, it is a good sign. With the strain our presence would have put on him, coupled with the stress of the illusion, it would have been more likely for it to fall"  
  
"But he could still..."  
  
"Yes..." Batman said somberly "There is still a chance that with the brain activity so low, his body will not be able to recover"  
  
Diana placed a hand on her forehead and sighed.  
  
"We'll have to wait; only time will tell"


	9. Reconciliation

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Justice League; all I own are a few comics, a tape of secret origins and a few attempts at drawing J'onn.  
  
**Authors note: **Well...I said this would be the last chapter, but I decided to make the next one the last chapter, it'll also be a special one for all those who reviewed and supported it, I'm so amazed how popular this got, and am defiantly considering more fics, and maybe a sequel if I can think of a good idea.  
  
Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far, and to Matt Morwell, who looked over this chapter for me, and is such a good friend *grins* go read the first chapter of our co-fic [The future's past], a Sonic/Star Trek crossover, and his fics too! Very very good *nods sagely*  
  
I'm also going to attempt some pictures someday of this...but be warned...I'm not too good at non-furry fanart...  
  
Anyway, on with the fic, and remember, I'm doing an authors note after the last chapter, so give me some questions:-D  
  


  
**Recovery  
Chapter nine - Reconciliation**  
  


  
  
  
  
Clark Kent walked down the street, it was one of the few days when he had nothing in either of his identities to bother him, and the bright sunshine made it hard for him not to be cheerful. No natural disasters or criminals seemed to be around, just normal people enjoying the summer weather. Kids eating ice creams and parents smiling as a glob of it fell on a nose, or a butterfly entranced their vision.  
  
Still, though there was a smile on his lips, there was deep sadness behind his eyes.  
  
Ducking around a corner into an alleyway, looking around to make sure that nobody was watching, he removed his suit with enhanced speed to reveal a costume of deep rose red, and ocean blue, a long cape trailing behind almost to the ground, and hovered above the ground. As he went upwards, he hoped that his vision would not glance a thief or something else.  
  
And he hoped it would be today.  
  
Making it to the watchtower with the aid of Green Lantern, who had been on duty last on the floating satellite. They parted as the former marine left to take care of something on the planet below.  
  
Clark...or rather, Superman now, as he was in his costume instead of the 'real' identity, stepped away and into the corridor. Flash was relieving him from duty soon, his shift beginning after Green Lanterns, so before that, Superman headed towards the medical bay.  
  
It had only been a few days since they had entered J'onn's mind, and managed to convince him or his worth to the team, but it seemed like much longer. Batman had warned them that his condition was still in danger, the strain to his body being great, but with each hour, the monitor measuring his condition had crept steadily upwards, until it had stabilized at ninety percent.  
  
It had stayed there for the last twenty four hours, and with that increase in his brain function, there was also no need anymore for the oxygen mask, or any of the other machines which had been keeping his body alive. And he now seemed to be in a deep sleep. But the fact that nothing had changed in the past day was still worrying.  
  
He entered, looked to the bed, and saw J'onn still lying as still as the last time, chest rising and falling slowly.  
  
Superman sighed deeply.  
  
"You seem to sigh awfully loud"  
  
Turning quickly, afraid, and wondering at the same time that he had heard wrong, his open mouth turned into a broad smile.  
  
There, sitting halfway up in the bed, a bewildered smile crossing his features, was J'onn.  
  
Alive.  
  
Awake  
  
"Amazing..." Superman breathed, crossing the last few steps quickly "I don't believe it...we..."  
  
"Thought I would not survive?" J'onn queried, red eyes flashing in amusement, then pushed the rest of the covers off the bed, and stood. Superman was afraid he would still be weak, but the Martian stood strong and tall, and in a shift, his features merged and shifted as he changed into the form he had adopted on Earth. Then reached out with his hand, and let it lie on the shoulder of the man of steel.  
  
"I am real" he chuckled, as his friends eyes were still wide, and this seemed to shake him from his reverie.  
  
"How long have you been awake?"  
  
"A few hours" J'onn answered "Batman has filled me in on what happened while I was..." at this, his voice quieted, and his expression became one of guilt "...I am sorry to have worried you all so..."  
  
"Don't be" Superman admonished "It wasn't your fault, you just let yourself get caught up in blame...blame that wasn't even yours"  
  
J'onn nodded "It would not do for me to allow myself to fall into it now...I do not believe the fault was mine, just that I should not have allowed it to get that far...without friends" he paused "If I may call you that"  
  
Superman caught the tentatively phrased question, and gave him a glance that was assuring. "Of course!". He frowned "I wonder why Batman didn't tell us sooner"  
  
"Perhaps he has a sense of humour" J'onn suggested, Superman chuckled "Yeah..." he motioned to the doorway "Want to let them know...Flash is around, but the others are all down on Earth at the moment..."  
  
"I shall inform them as soon as we have let Flash know" the Martian nodded with a slight chuckle  
  
"Don't tell me you're getting a sense of humour too" Superman said as they left the medical bay, and the nightmares of the last few weeks behind.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Watchtower duty.  
  
Very, very boring, especially for the fastest man alive, forced to sit for hours on end. Occasionally his thoughts would wander, but Flash did try not to let himself get too far away from his duties, he might have a reputation for not being the most serious person in the world, but he did know what was important.  
  
That, or he was just scared stiff of Batman.  
  
Right now, he was so bored, that he didn't bother turning around when he heard the slight hissing as the door eased open, and footsteps came into the room. He surmised that it was the end of his shift, when he did turn to see Superman looking at him with a slight bewildered smile on his face.  
  
"Hey supes" Flash yawned "Is it over already"  
  
Superman nodded, but said nothing, just walking further into the room, stopping, then looking at a place just behind Flash.  
  
"Uh...you okay supes?" Flash asked, extremely confused about the manner in which his friend was behaving.  
  
Superman just continued to look, and, intrigued, Flash turned to see what on earth was so fascinating.  
  
He didn't expect to see Superman standing behind him.  
  
His eyes whipped back to where the man of steel had been before, and was still there.  
  
His eyes then flew back to the second.  
  
Then he looked back to the first.  
  
This continued for a few more seconds, each time the face of the fastest man alive kept whizzing back and forth until his features seemed to blend together.  
  
Then the mind of the fastest man alive caught up with his body, and a lightbulb seemed to go on inside him.  
  
"No way..." he grinned, and looked at both "Ok...which one is it?"  
  
Both of them looked at each other and smiled.  
  
"Shall we torture him more?" the first asked  
  
"Perhaps...but I feel it would be kinder to let him know"  
  
"Geeze, this is too easy, it's the second one!" Flash grinned triumphantly, and the second Superman's features seemed to melt together, and soon J'onn J'onzz, back in his form adopted on Earth, was standing next to the real Superman.  
  
"Man, this is so COOL!" He shouted, running to envelope the Martian in a bear hug, which seemed both in and out of character for him, but in the circumstances, was not unwelcome "It's been so uncool without you around J'onn, even Bats seemed more moody than usual...and that's not a good thing" he nodded mutely, a serious expression on his face that made Superman chuckle, and J'onn smile.  
  
So not like their friend that it was humorous.  
  
"I am glad to be back" J'onn nodded "And I assure you I shall not allow this to happen again"  
  
"Damn straight" Flash shot in "We're a team, and a family too, right big guy?"  
  
Superman nodded "That would make you the annoying little brother then I take it"  
  
"Hey!" Flash yelped, and then grinned himself "Yeah...I guess so"  
  
"What would you have the others become in this version of a family?" J'onn interjected, amused by this conversation, and feeling incredibly glad to be back.  
  
"Well...bats is the dad I guess...stern and strict and stuff..." Flash mused "GL...the older brother...y'know, who always thinks he's right..."  
  
J'onn continued to listen, feeling incredibly glad he had not allowed himself to fall too far, and that his friends had cared enough to try and help him, even at a risk to their own lives.  
  
After they had been forced to leave, J'onn had gone through a small period of intense pain, as the effort it had taken to keep them inside his mind took its toll. On the outside, the signals had fluctuated rapidly, but had not stayed that way for long. Then it had been a case of allowing his body to repair itself. His mind, though weak, was not too damaged. With a telepath, it would be the most strengthened part of their body, and would take an extreme amount of harm to cause it to cease functioning.  
  
And he had almost allowed it to do that.  
  
While his body had been recovering its energy, the dreams had continued, but while before, they had been of real events where he had succeeded in real life, but going in a different direction in the illusion, now, he made sure that they went the correct way, and succeeding where he had done so in reality.  
  
Then he had felt the tug on reality, and allowed it to take him...  
  
- - - - -  
  
_When his eyes opened, the picture before them was blurred, a mix of black and silver and other colours, but as he kept blinking, it came more into focus. The silver became the machines and monitors of the medical bay, and the black, the costume of Batman, who was watching him.  
  
"Good to see you're awake" he nodded.  
  
"Yes" J'onn answered, he still felt tired, and his body seemed to be extremely heavy, sinking into the not so comfortable bed, his eyes already drooping closed again, no matter how hard he tried to keep them awake.  
  
Batman noticed this, and checked the monitors, "Don't worry, you'll need to rest a while before you're back to full strength"  
  
J'onn nodded again, breathing in; he became aware of just how dry his mouth was. Before he could say anything, a glass was lifted to his mouth, and tipped slightly. Cool, clear water entered, and it soothed his throat and quenched his thirst. After he had drunk, the glass was taken away.  
  
"Thank you" he said to Batman, feeling drowsier than before.  
  
"Just rest" Batman nodded  
  
J'onn did not even have the energy to agree or even nod his head anymore, and even the uncomfortable bed did not stop him from falling into a peace free slumber for the next few hours.  
  
_- - - - -  
  
...J'onn?"  
  
"Hmm?" J'onn murmured, coming back with a start, he had drifted off into his own thoughts, and saw they were now walking in the corridors near their own personal quarters, and he realized he was feeling tired again.  
  
"Are you okay?" Superman asked, with undisguised concern.  
  
"Yes" J'onn was quick to assure him "I am fine...just slightly fatigued...Batman did say it would take time before I am fully recovered, and the sleeping facilities of the medical bay do not seem to encourage rest"  
  
Superman chuckled "Yes...I seem to recall that as well" he nodded, referring to that virus the renegade Amazon Aresia had released on the world, infecting all men, and even those not of earth origin, with J'onn and Superman. It had been slightly more difficult to revive them, because of their differences in anatomy, but it had been successful.  
  
J'onn chuckled "Yes, indeed"  
  
They paused, now just outside the door for J'onn's own personal quarters "I shall hope that my bed here is more comfortable"  
  
Superman nodded "Shall I let the others know?"  
  
J'onn nodded again "Yes...I do not believe they would appreciate being told in the same way as Flash"  
  
"I think you seemed to have acquired a sense of humour with that"  
  
"Perhaps" J'onn said, pressing the button and letting the door slide open before he entered. It slid shut behind him, and he allowed his shoulders to relax and his posture droop. He was more tired than he wanted to admit, and the thought of a comfortable bed and sleep for many hours was too alluring to resist.  
  
Seconds later, the slumbering form of a Martian, laid flat out on a large bed, could be seen, breathing gently and a slight smile upon his face.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"This is wonderful news" Diana smiled, with a glance at the others in the Javelin before turning her attention back to the screen where Superman, still on watchtower duty, was telling them about J'onn. Flash could be seen standing behind the man of steel, and would interject with comments every few seconds.  
  
"I know, he feels bad for what happened, but I think he realizes we don't blame him...anyone would consider a chance to gain something they lost that they cared for deeply" Superman said, and Diana nodded.  
  
There could not be a person upon the earth that did not have something they had lost which they would give almost anything to get back. For her, it was the thought of never seeing her mother Hypolitia after her banishment from Themyscera, and she felt the pain from that deeply.  
  
When the league was in its first few weeks after its formation, she would often find J'onn standing on the observation deck, looking out at a distant planet of a deep rich red colour.  
  
Mars.  
  
She could feel his pain, and in those times, she had realized he felt as lonely in this world as she did, and it made some sort of bond between them. She was the only one to see him crying one late night, and was the one to try and comfort him.  
  
Then, when she had been banished, he had been the one to offer support and comfort then.  
  
Both were alienated from their homes, cut off from the ones that they loved. And even though Diana's mother and sisters still existed in life, J'onn did not hold that against her. The pain they felt was the same, and in that, they formed a tight friendship.  
  
...Diana?"  
  
"Oh, sorry" she blushed "I was just thinking"  
  
Superman chuckled, as did Hawkgirl and Green Lantern, "Apparently, so was Flash"  
  
"Hey!" Flash shouted in the background "I resent that remark!"  
  
"Can't deny the truth kid" GL chuckled as well, keeping a tight rein on the controls.  
  
"Flash had an idea?" Diana mused "Well, that is interesting..."  
  
"It's a good idea too, actually" Superman nodded, then stepped back from the screen and let Flash into the picture. He wore an expression of amusement and deep thought, which was enough to make everyone else grin madly again before he could begin to speak.  
  
"Well guys, y'know it's been all weird for the last few weeks, and J'onn was all depressed...and I was thinking when he was all ill and stuff that when he got better we should do something for him..."  
  
"That does sound like a good idea" Hawkgirl nodded "But what do you have in mind?"  
  
Flash spoke again.  
  
Hawkgirl and Diana exchanged a look, Green Lantern chuckled whilst shaking his head from side to side lightly, Superman, standing behind Flash watched as Hawkgirl and Diana both grinned, the former having a more, malicious expression, whilst the latter was more of confusion.  
  
Flash just had a big grin plastered across his face.  
  
Finally, Diana spoke up.  
  
"I believe by your expressions this is a good idea, but I think I need explaining what on earth this is"  
  
"Oh it's good alright babe" Flash assured her "And he'll love it!"  
  
"We'll have to make sure he doesn't realise what's going on" Green Lantern chuckled "But I like the idea, for once the kid came up with something good"  
  
As the Javelin flew further out into space towards the Watchtower, a sharp "hey!" in an indignant tone could be heard.


	10. Recovered

**Disclaimer: **I don't own J'onn or the Justice League, DC comics does. I do own a video, recorded episodes, a few comics, and a J'onn J'onzz pencil topper [and I still have to eat the cereal I got it in ^^]  
  
**Authors note: **Wow...the final chapter, and I never imagined it would get this far. When I first thought of this idea, I wasn't actually going to write it, but I'm glad I did. Sorry this was delayed, but our modem went down on Wednesday and we got the new one today [Actually I finished the chapter on Wednesday :-p]  
  
I'm going to do a bigger authors note after this chapter, and I want to answer any questions about the fic, so please ask em! Put them in the review or E-mail me!  
  


  
**Recovery  
Chapter ten - Recovered**  
  


  
  
  
  
"For the last time kid...I don't think having alcohol at this would be a good idea"  
  
"Why not?" the scarlet speedster asked, as he and John Stewart walked down the streets of Metropolis. Somehow, they had been given the job of getting the food for the party, and as his real identity was known by just about everyone, and John had the 'cool ring thingy', as Flash had put it, they wouldn't have much trouble getting the food to the Watchtower. Just get it, order it to go to Wally's apartment, then get GL to take it to the watchtower.  
  
Except they couldn't choose what to get.  
  
"Because" John Stewart replied "We know that Superman can handle it, but Diana's been on an island for most of her life"  
  
"We just get her some more iced mochas" Wally pointed out, both knowing the slight 'liking', the Amazon princess had developed for the drinks.  
  
John chuckled "Yeah" he mentally added it to the list, which so far contained items like crisps, dip, ice-cream [this had been Wally's idea] and now, more iced mochas, "But we don't know what it might do to Shayera or J'onn"  
  
Wally smirked, "Already on first names with her then buddy", which made John turn a very deep shade of red.  
  
He coughed, "Yeah..."  
  
"You don't need to worry about Hawkgirl anyway" Wally assured him "I have it on good authority she knows what Alcohol is"  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Remember that black eye I had a while back..." Wally was the one to blush this time, and John nodded.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"That was the first time she got drunk"  
  
"Ah" John simply said, fighting the urge to laugh, "Ok" he chuckled "We can get some, but we keep her away from it, got it"  
  
"Defiantly" Wally nodded "But if she does...you can take care of it", he reached up to a shelf in the store absently, and pulled down a packet of cookies, which fell into the basket.  
  
The label read.  
  
Oreos.  
  
- - - - -  
  
While Green Lantern and Flash had been stuck with getting the refreshments, the other members of the league were also getting into the spirit.  
  
Batman, of course, did not actually do anything, not wanting to seem 'soft', but grudgingly agreed to actually attend it, in part because of the fact that J'onn had saved his, and their, lives, many times, and because he knew what it was like to lose family, and understood, at least in part, what J'onn had gone through when he had almost let himself get that deep.  
  
"This sounds like fun" Hawkgirl smirked, as she swooped up to the top of the meeting hall, and hung the banner to one of the steel beams.  
  
On the other side, Superman had pinned up the other, and smiled back, "I can't believe that this was Flash' idea..." he paused "wait...yes I can"  
  
"A birthday party" Hawkgirl prompted, with a grin "is pure Flash"  
  
Superman nodded, fighting the urge to laugh "Yes, you're defiantly right"  
  
"They should be back soon" the Thanagarian mused.  
  
"Flash and Lantern?"  
  
She nodded, a slight blush colouring her cheeks at the mention of the last name, but the man of steel was too busy with hanging a set of balloons in the top right corner to see, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Making sure the strings were tight, she touched down on the ground, just as the aforementioned two came walking in the door.  
  
"Hey guys, food's here!" Flash grinned, zooming in, dropping six bags on the table, going out again, and coming in with another six before Green Lantern walked in with the last three"  
  
Superman and Hawkgirl blinked.  
  
"How much food did you get?" he asked when they began opening the bags and pulling out various items.  
  
"Just enough...and don't worry, Bats is paying" Flash nodded.  
  
"He is?" Hawkgirl looked incredulously at him, but the scarlet speedster nodded again.  
  
"Yeah, said he wouldn't participate in all this 'kids stuff', but he'd pay for the food...good ol' bats" Flash finished, glancing at them before pulling out more cans, tins, bags at superhuman speed, setting them all out on the table, then disappearing for a split second, and reappearing with bowls, glasses, which soon were filled with food and drinks.  
  
"Oreos...where did these come from?" Green Lantern pulled the bag open, took one gingerly in his hand, and, in the interests of testing, of course, took a bite from it.  
  
"Dunno...must have dropped into the bag" Flash shrugged "What's it like?"  
  
"...chocolately..." Green Lantern murmured with his mouth full "Not too bad though"  
  
It wasn't long before all the refreshments had been set out, presents, at Flash's suggestion, _'after all, you can't have a party without presents'_, had been placed on a table, and everything else was ready. Batman, with a grudge upon his face [and a small present], had arrived. There was just one more thing they needed.  
  
J'onn.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"Do you ever imagine what it would be like, if none of this had ever happened?"  
  
Diana turned her head from watching the crowds, to the man sitting beside her. He was clad in casual attire, and his brown hair was ruffled slightly by the breeze. This was the form, or at least one, of those that J'onn took when he was down on Earth. She was also not in her normal uniform.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The Imperium, my coming here...would the Justice League exist, and would we know each other..." he trailed off.  
  
Diana knew he still felt bad about what had happened, no matter how much it changed, he would still blame himself for some part in it. And as much as she wanted to tell him, she knew that there was no way to make him stop it completely. But he had made a mistake, as everyone did, and Diana would do everything to stop him from letting himself get dragged down by those feelings again.  
  
"I don't know" she finally admitted "Maybe you'd still be on Mars, I would be back on the island with my sisters, and there wouldn't be a Justice League, but we cannot change the past"  
  
J'onn nodded, a smile tracing his lips, in this form, he usually wore the same expression as he did in his Martian appearance, and he placed a hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I am sorry, I must have dredged up your past...memories..." he murmured.  
  
Diana smiled back "It's ok J'onn, I like to think about it, it's sad, but it's also happy, and trying to forget everything isn't good...it's in the bad times, that some of the best things in life happen"  
  
"Yes" J'onn nodded "If I had not been captured by the Imperium, I may not have tried to contact you and the others, the league may not have been formed, and I would not have a new family"  
  
Diana felt extremely happy at this, she knew J'onn had felt the pain at losing his family more than anybody else in the group. She had the satisfaction of knowing her mother, and sisters were still alive, even though she could not see them, Superman had been too young to remember his natural parents, Flash and Green Lantern didn't say it, but she knew they had family somewhere. Hawkgirl, whether she missed hers or not, never seemed to show it.  
  
Batman...she didn't know anything about his, and the dark somber mood he was always in made it seem likely his past wasn't something good, and she felt that J'onn knew about it for some reason, but he had been an adult, with a wife, and children, and had been stopped from protecting them.  
  
That must have hurt down to his core.  
  
So to hear that he thought of them as a family, as his new family, made her happier than she could have imagined.  
  
"Flash made that comparison not long after I woke up" J'onn spoke up, bringing her back from her thoughts "He said of Batman being the father, Green Lantern the brother...and I feel those do seem true, but I think of you" and he paused at this point, a slight blush, unnoticeable in his Martian form, coloured his cheeks "...as a sister...though I did not have my own, it is similar to that of a brother, and in that, you are much like that"  
  
"Thank you J'onn" Diana smiled "I don't understand fully what a brother is, but if it is anything like a sister, I think you fit it completely"  
  
J'onn nodded, and stood "Should we be returning to the Watchtower" he asked.  
  
Diana glanced at her watch, it was now almost twenty to twelve, and the others should be ready by now, she nodded. "Yes, Batman said there would be a meeting at twelve", this was a lie, but she needed to get him back there without revealing anything, and something out of the ordinary would make him suspicious.  
  
"Batman would not wish anyone to be late" J'onn chuckled, and Diana did the same as they walked around the corner of the park, to a more deserted area. He took Diana's arm, and went translucent through a wall, on the other side was the Javelin. They entered, started the engines, and took off, flying for a few seconds before J'onn took off the cloaking device.  
  
- - - - -  
**  
**"I would have thought that Batman would hold a meeting later in the night" J'onn spoke up as he and Diana walked down the corridors of the Watchtower, after having landed the Javelin in the hanger bay.  
  
"Maybe he's trying to keep up that mysterious image he has" Diana suggested, trying to make sure J'onn did not suspect something was up. So far it seemed to be working, and it wouldn't be much longer until they got there.  
  
- - - - -  
  
"Guys, I hear them!" Flash grinned, his head pressed to the door, listening for footsteps. On hearing them, he told the others, who all got into their respective places, one turned down the light, and Batman tried to fold into the shadows.  
  
The door swished open, and two sets of footsteps echoed from the hallway, and into the room.  
  
Everyone held their breath.  
  
"This is strange..." a deep toned voice commented.  
  
J'onn.  
  
"Perhaps the meeting hasn't started yet"  
  
Diana.  
  
"It is already a minute past, and Batman is never late"  
  
Flash suppressed a chuckle.  
  
"The light is awfully low", they heard Diana comment, which was part of the plan, working, as they heard footsteps echo again on the floor, and though they couldn't see it, an arm, reaching for the switch.  
  
It turned on.  
  
Light flooded the room, and J'onn caught sight of the decorations, food, and packages on the table, around the room, and on the walls and ceiling. He turned to Diana, who smiled at him, and embraced him.  
  
"I do not understand..." the Martian murmured gently "What is this for?"  
  
"It's for you J'onn" Diana smiled, letting go and her eyes wandering to where each one of the leaguers came away from their hiding places [or in Batman's case, his shadows], and also smiled at their friend.  
  
"For me?" J'onn looked surprised, and his gaze wandered again around the room, to all that was in it, and then to his friends. "I am overwhelmed by this..."  
  
"It's a birthday party" Flash piped up, appearing at J'onn's side, pressing a wrapped box into the Martians arms. J'onn just looked at the package until he made a move to open it. It was of a rectangular shape, and when the wrapping had been taken off, J'onn saw it was a game console, with games inside.  
  
"Everyone loves games" the scarlet speedster grinned "And I can show you how to play em"  
  
J'onn could not help but smile at this "Thank you Flash"  
  
"No problem!"  
  
After this, all of the other leaguers, to his surprise, also gave him presents, well, except for Batman, but J'onn didn't think he was the type to participate in this kind of activity. At least he did until a few minutes after the present giving had been over, and everyone was talking amongst themselves, eating and drinking, J'onn casting a glance every so often at the plate with the Oreo's piled up on top of it, and was about to go and try one when Batman had come up to him, and motioned for him to follow.  
  
- - - - -  
  
Coming to the door of J'onn's quarters, he turned to the dark knight with a puzzled look.  
  
"Why are we here?"  
  
Batman, if it could be possible, seemed slightly embarrassed when he answered "I have something for you, but I prefer not to have the others there"  
  
"You do not want to lose your intimidation factor" J'onn chuckled.  
  
"It's a vital part of my operations" Batman said in all seriousness, pressing the button and letting the door open.  
  
J'onn stepped inside, caught sight of what was on the near most table, and gasped, eyes going wide.  
  
"H..How did you get this?" he breathed, running a hand alongside the orbs which glowed, changing colour with each movement of his hand, and making a harmonious sound so deep and melodic that for a moment, he felt as if he were back on Mars.  
  
"I still keep in touch with Jason" Batman answered "And he mentioned seeing this when you were under LeFey's illusion, and it was something special...wasn't it J'onn"  
  
"Yes..." J'onn nodded "The tactile scheme, or how it translates to English, was something that almost every Martian had in his or her home, it was meant to be a representation of their family, a different member represented by a sound and colour, and when the hand is placed over it, the sounds and colours mix to represent the unity of family..." he paused "But this is exactly as it was on Mars...how did you get it to be so?"  
  
Batman smirked "That's my secret, J'onn, but it will work the same, I'm sure of it" he finished, then turned to leave the room, J'onn left one last glance at the tactile scheme, and noticed that unlike his one back on Mars, where there had been four, for himself, M'y'ria and the children, as well as for his own parents, here, there were those.  
  
And six more.  
  
It could have been a mistake, but J'onn did not think so, it seemed to be a sign that they all accepted him, and he would cherish it forever.  
  
He left the room, followed Batman back to the party, and his friends.  
  
And picked up an Oreo.  
  
- - - - -


End file.
